Resurrection
by TheGamingOstrich
Summary: After a fight with a powerful telekinetic, Barry Allen is killed and wakes up in the speed force. To the above world, two years have passed since his death, when he wakes up in a pine box. What will Barry do now that he is alive again? Will he drive his team away because of his acceptance of killing, or will he overcome it and finally gain his team back once and for all? Canon-3x23
1. Rebirth

**A/N: Hey! This is my first fanfiction so I hope you enjoy. If you have any suggestions please give me a review. Thanks!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own CW, any of its shows, or any of its characters.**

* * *

Darkness.

It was the first thing Barry saw as he woke up. When he tried to move, he was stopped by very close wooden walls and ceiling.

"Help!" Barry attempted to cry, but all that came out was a dry and raspy whisper. His throat was dry as if it had no moisture in it for ages. As his senses started to awaken, he realized that he was in a pine box six feet under. He then realized that he most likely had only a few minutes of air before he was going to suffocate.

Upon this realization, Barry began to make an effort to slow his breathing, which is fairly difficult realizing that you're stuck in the ground. Once that was done, Barry started punching the top of the box, causing dirt to fall through the rotting wood. Summoning all of his strength, Barry took a deep breath and punched with all of his might.

Dirt and wood collapsed on top of Barry. Using his remaining might, he crawled through the dirt to the surface. With his arms working in overdrive, his hands shifting rapidly to pull himself up, and his legs pushing against the dirt below, Barry was finally able to make it to the surface.

Barry was nearly blinded by the light of day. He pulled on the grass to get the rest of his body out of the newly dug hole in the ground. Gasping for air, Barry lay down on the grass, tired from all the exertion with little energy. After a few minutes, Barry stood up and observed his surroundings.

The cemetery was one he recognized. It was the same one that his mother and father were buried in. Barry then caught the eye of the groundskeeper, who was frozen in fear. Barry sheepishly waved at the groundskeeper with a weak smile, causing the man to turn and run. After that interaction, Barry knew that this wasn't some dream. This was real.

Barry turned around to look at his gravestone. It read:

 _Barry Allen, Loving Husband, and Son_

 _1989-2020_

Reading the gravestone caused him to realize that he had no idea what the hell was going on. Barry then made an effort to remember the events leading up to his death.

* * *

 _"You can't go! What if we have another Zoom situation where he breaks you nearly to beyond repair, or worse?!" Caitlin screamed at Barry, who was about to face off against a telekinetic metahuman, far more powerful than Magenta and DeVoe combined._

 _"Well, what's the other option? Let him be as he destroys the entire city? Even if I do die, it'll be defending the city. Defending you. Defending Iris. Defending everyone." Barry retorted, frustration rising inside of him, but also an understanding of their worry._

 _"Barry you can't do this. We need to find another way. This city can't lose you. I can't lose you..." Iris cried as she attempted to hold Barry back from fighting. Iris grabbed onto him, in a subconscious effort to make him stay. Barry then addressed the team._

 _"Even if I die, Central City will have Wally to protect it. Oliver can come help if extra help is needed. This city will be protected, even if I die."_

 _"Barry, please-"_

 _"No, Joe, I have to try." Barry let go of Iris and sped into his suit. "If I do die, don't reveal my identity. I don't want the city to see me as a person. Then they'll see a family and friends behind this mask. I need them to see a hero that died for them."_

 _Barry gave a quick kiss to Iris, making sure to leave S.T.A.R. Labs before the team could convince him to stay._

 _Barry arrived at the telekinetic's location, ready to fight. The man turned around, smiling._

 _"Hello, Flash! Lovely evening, isn't it?" The man turned around to face Barry. The man was wearing a two-piece suit under a trench coat. Barry didn't respond, using this time to observe his surroundings and size up the man._

 _"Not very talkative are you? Oh well, you won't be able to talk for much longer anyway." With that the man's arm shot out, attempting to grab Barry with his powers. Barry saw the action and moved behind the telekinetic, landing a few blows on him before being thrown backward from an invisible force. The man turned around and lifted Barry into the air._

 _"Barry!" He heard Iris call through his comms. He was about to respond when forces started crushing him on all sides._

 _"AGGHH!" Barry screamed as the forces on him grew stronger and stronger. The man had both of his arms sticking out, his hands closing slowly._

 _"You see, Flash, you are powerless to stop me. This proves that this city is weak. I will conquer it, and the rest of the multiverse. This conquest starts with you."_

 _Barry knew he was about to die. Team flash was going insane trying to figure out some way to save Barry._

 _"Iris..." Barry called out to his wife._

 _"I'm here, Barry!" Iris responded, on the verge of collapsing._

 _"Iris, no matter what happens know that I-" Barry was cut off by the most pain he had ever felt in his life. He could feel his internal organs being shredded, his bones being turned to dust. Barry cried out in horrific screams._

 _"Barry! No, no, no, BARRY!" Iris called out, sobs now wrecking her body. Caitlin stared mortified at his vitals and the footage of what happened, sobs causing her to fall out of her chair and bring her legs towards the torso. Cisco was frozen in fear. Joe ran out of the cortex looking to drive to Barry's location, but Wally had to hold him back with all his might, while simultaneously comforting Jesse. Harry stood frozen, attempting to hide his emotions, but letting a small amount of sadness through._

 _Barry heard their screams for a few seconds until blackness took him. The last things he heard were Caitlin and Iris's sobs pouring through his comms._

* * *

 **A/N: That's the end of the first chapter! I need some help on deciding how Barry will reveal himself to his friends and family. Please leave a review if you have an idea. I'll try to upload within the next two days.**


	2. Out of the Frying Pan

**A/N: Welcome to Chapter 2 of Ressurection! Please leave a review on how I'm doing and ideas on how Barry should reveal himself. Thanks!  
Disclaimer: I do not own DC, CW, Or any of its shows and characters.**

* * *

After reminiscing on the events leading up to his death, Barry held his hand in front of his face and vibrated it, making sure he still had his speed. When it vibrated at super speeds, he relaxed slightly, knowing he still had the speed force.

With that, Barry started walking towards the exit of the graveyard. Upon leaving, he decided that getting food needed to be next. Barry still had enough energy to grab some money from his old house and eat with that, so he would be able to use his speed without danger.

Barry flashed over to his old loft, hoping Iris still lived there. Phasing through the door he came to find an empty room with pictures of him and Iris. Everything was the same as when he died. Good, she still lives here, he thought, as he ran over to his old safe and grabbed money from it. He then ran over to the kitchen and grabbed some chips to eat. After eating a bagful, Barry ran back out of the apartment and to the alley a block away from a big belly burger.

Barry decided he didn't want to be recognized yet so he checked to be sure that there was no one there to recognize him. Seeing no familiar faces, he walked into the restaurant. Barry walked up to the counter and ordered three double cheeseburgers. After getting a strange glance from the cashier, he got an even stranger one from the question that followed.

"Here's the cash. Hey, do you happen to know the date?" Barry asked sheepishly, hoping she would say the year the first time so he wouldn't have to ask for that specifically.

"Yeah. It's October 10." She replied.

"And the year?" Barry asked, shrinking as she raised one eyebrow at him.

"2022." She said inquisitively, but shrugging it off as him being tired.

"Thanks," Barry responded, finding a table facing the door to ensure that no one familiar walks in. "Only two years?!" Barry thought as he heard his name being called to pick up his order.

* * *

 _"Hello, Barry." A voice boomed through his head. That darkness that fell over Barry's eyes when he died retreated to reveal himself in his childhood home._

 _"Wh-where am I?" Barry asked, not sure if this was real or not._

 _"The speed force." This time the voice came from behind him, causing Barry to turn around. When he did, he saw his mother standing where she died._

 _"Why am I here? Did I die?"_

 _"Yes Barry, you died fighting a telekinetic. The speed force is where speedsters go when they die."_

 _"I-I have to go back! My family, the city needs me!" Barry shouted, but only because he was scared._

 _"Not yet. We have a proposition for you."_

 _"Okay, what is it?"_

 _"Most speedsters use their powers for their own good. You, however, did not. You used your powers to do good, to protect and to save. Although there were a few bumps, like flashpoint, you still benefited the multiverse as a whole. Because of this, we are offering you a second chance. Work with us a bounty hunter for 40 years, and we will resurrect you not too long after your death."_

 _"Really?!" Barry exclaimed, then gaining skepticism about the job. "But what exactly would I be doing?"_

 _"You would be like a time wraith. Collecting speedsters that mess with time or threaten the multiverse. The difference is that you will be sentient. Time wraiths and black flash are merely zombies performing tasks. You will be alive and smart. You can make decisions that those things can't."_

 _"And if I refuse?"_

 _"Then you will be here forever."_

 _Barry thought about it for a moment, eventually deciding that he had to return to his time._

 _"Okay. I'll do it."_

 _"Good. There are a few things you should know. The first is that you have to forget all your connections. Your love for Iris, your friends, your family, everything. If a mission brings you to their time, you cannot have feelings get in the way. Second, you are going to be put through extensive training. Your usage of your powers is limited. With the right training, you can run faster than the speed of light, punch with the power of a white dwarf star, throw lightning in less than half a second, heal yourself instantly, heal others instantly, punch open a breach to other worlds, and more. We will train you to master speed."_

 _Barry was dumbfounded by what he just heard. The power that was waiting to be unlocked was baffling._

 _"Let's get started."_

* * *

Barry walked out of the big belly burger and sped off to the top of S.T.A.R. Labs to think of his next move. He wasn't ready to return to his old life, especially to Iris. The things that he has seen, the loss he has experienced, the horrible things that he has done, they all left a mark on him. Almost constantly he hears screams, pain, cries for help. Barry wasn't ready to show this mark to others yet, except for one. Someone that knows the pain of losing everything, and they are far enough away from team flash so wouldn't be noticed.

 _Barry's death sent waves across the multiverse. After he died, the telekinetic retreated, allowing Wally and Jesse to speed to the scene carrying Caitlin and Iris. When they arrived, Iris collapsed by Barry's side, and Caitlin pulling herself together just enough to check on Barry. Upon inspection, his body seemed to simply sag. She lifted up his arm and everything but the part she was holding sagged down as if it were a bag of water._ _Soon Caitlin had to give into the sobs that were trying to crawl their way free. Wally, being the most composed of the team, comforted Iris while Jesse did the same for Caitlin. The rest of the team finally arrived in their cars, barely being able to look at what was in front of them._

 _Upon arrival, Cisco took Jesse's place and attempted to comfort Caitlin. Harry continued Caitlin's examination of the body. Joe took his place beside Iris, both consoling each other. Police sirens were heard in the distance, causing most of the team to jump into action. Caitlin, Cisco, Wally, and Harry moved to pry Barry's body away from Joe and Iris. Both protested, but when they noticed the sirens, they both stepped away. Picking up and running the body to S.T.A.R. proved to be incredibly difficult. Barry's body sagged so much it was dragging Wally down. He eventually arrived at S.T.A.R. and set him in the med bay to be examined when the others arrived._

"Um, guys," Cisco called from inside the cortex, "There's someone on the roof of S.T.A.R." Cisco then pulled up the security feed of the roof. Caitlin, Jesse, and Wally turned to look.

The feed showed a slim man in a suit, but the camera only showed his back. The man seemed to just be standing there, unmoving.

"I'll go check it out. If something happens be prepared to come help me." Cisco said, gesturing to Wally and Jesse. Cisco then made his way up to the roof of S.T.A.R. When he opened the door, he had his vibe gloves on and goggles in his hand if combat was needed.

"Hey! Suit! What are you doing on top of S.T.A.R. Labs?" Cisco called, obviously annoyed. Barry turned his head towards Cisco ever so slightly, not enough to give away his identity, but enough to acknowledge Cisco. Barry could run away, but that would give Cisco a chance to follow him via breach. Barry decided to go somewhere that would be harder to locate him in. The multiverse.

Barry knew where he would go. Earth 38. Supergirl's earth. He did what he was taught to do when jumping earths. He had been there a few times now, so he knew what frequency it was. Barry started vibrating his hand against his chest, concealing it from Cisco's view. When he knew he reached the correct frequency, Barry punched the air beside him fast enough to open a breach to the correct earth. A breach to Earth 38 appeared, causing Cisco to jump back ever so slightly. Cisco moved to put on his goggles, but they were knocked out of his hand as he heard a demonic voice behind him.

"Don't follow me." Cisco couldn't even turn around before a blur ran past him and in an instant was gone, along with the breach.

* * *

 **A/N: That was Chapter 2! Thanks for reading and don't forget to review.**


	3. And Into The Fire

**A/N: Here's Chapter 3 of Resurrection! As always, leave a review on how I'm doing.  
Disclaimer: I do not own DC, CW, any of its shows or characters.**

* * *

As soon as Barry stepped out of the breach, he started observing his surroundings. He recognized the location as Kara Danvers apartment. Barry looked around the area, finding that no one was there at the time. Needing to find out where Kara was, Barry turned on the TV and found the news.

"Breaking news," The newscaster said, "Supergirl has just been kidnapped in an all-out battle with the alien known as Darkseid. After being hit with Darkseid's Omega Beams, Supergirl was knocked out and kidnapped by a few of his parademons."

Upon hearing this, Barry knew he had to gear up for war and the suit that he was buried in wouldn't cut it. His gear from his time in the speed force was still there. Barry decided that he would collect it and save Kara. Barry ran out of the building and stopped at an airstrip. Barry ran down the runway and ran into the speed force. He stopped inside his childhood home, seeing his mother in front of him.

"Welcome back, Barry. What are you here for?" Nora said, already knowing what Barry needed.

"I'm here for my gear," Barry explained, "Supergirl is in danger by Darkseid. I need to get her out of there."

"Of course, Barry. Here it is." Nora gestured to an armor stand beside her. On it was Barry's old armor. The suit was made of a leather like material, with straps and buckles lining it. Near the heart, slightly to the left was a sheath holding a knife. The user could easily reach up to his heart and grab the handle without any fumbling. The mask covered the entire face and had a very mechanical look to it. It was a dark metal, impossible to be destroyed. Over the Mask was a hood, leather like the suit, but held to the mask so it wouldn't fall back when the user is running. Barry sped into the suit, hood down, and looked at the back of the mask. After being applied to the user's face, five leather straps would shoot out the back, all connecting at the center of the back of the head, securing the mask. To take the mask off, the user simply had to apply pressure to the point where the bands connect. The bands will retract, allowing the user to pull off the mask. Barry placed the mask on his face, the bands securing in the back.

"Can you put me back right where and when I left?" Barry asked.

"Of course," Nora said gesturing behind Barry, where a portal opened up. "Now, go save Kara."

Barry smiled and stepped into the portal behind him. Just as he asked, not a second had passed when he stepped out.

* * *

Barry ran to the scene where Supergirl was taken, getting strange looks from everyone around. Infront of Barry was a massive building of futuristic looking tech. Supergirl could be anywhere, Barry thought. Then, he remembered part of his training. He placed his hands on the structure and began to vibrate. soon the entire building was vibrating. Barry could feel the molecules that made up the air, his body, the building, and the things inside it. With this Barry was able to create a picture of the entire building in his mind. With Barry's mind being able to think at the speed of light, he was able to remember the entire inner workings of the building. Soon, he found Kara. She was near the top, being tortured by Darkseid with some strange metal with radioactive properties. Barry ran up the side of the building at top speed, phasing into the room where Kara was being held.

Barry saw Kara strapped down to a metal table, being held there by some kind green metal. Beside her was Darkseid, who was cutting her with same metal that was holding her down. Multiple parademons were surrounding her, a few by the door, and a few charging at Barry after they noticed he was there. Barry responded by pulling out his knife, flashing up to one and stabbing it in its head and in the throat of the other. Darkseid heard the scuffle and charged up his omega beams. Kara looked up at him with a mixture of fear and relief on her face. The other parademons at the door and near Kara started charging at Barry. He waited for them all to get close enough for his lightning throw, while simultaneously dodging Darkseid's Omega Beams. When they were grouped together, Barry vibrated his hand fast enough to generate lightning and threw it at the group of five or six parademons. They were all immediately thrown backward, either dead or knocked out, Barry not taking the time to check. Just as Darkseid was shooting another beam, Barry charged at him and stuck a hand through his chest. Barry knew that it wouldn't kill him, but it would incapacitate him for long enough to get Kara out of there. Once Darkseid was on the floor, Barry turned to Kara.

"Kara. I'm here to get you out." Barry said, changing his voice but not to the point of intimidation, just enough to mask his voice.

"Who-Who are you? How did you-"

"I'll explain at your apartment. right now we need to move before Mr. Damien Darkseid decides to wake up." Barry cut open the metal holding Kara down, grabbed her, and ran. Barry phased through the wall and continued down the side of the building. Barry slowed down long enough for the onlookers to see that he was carrying Supergirl. He con continued to run until he reached her apartment.

* * *

 _Barry's funeral had everyone that he knew. The entire police department, Team Legends, Team Arrow, Team Flash, and Kara and Kal-El. The funeral was mostly silent, except for Iris giving the eulogy. As promised, no one gave away The Flash's identity. It was practically his dying wish. The Burial was just as quiet save for the quiet crying of Joe, Iris, Caitlin, and Kara._

As soon as Barry arrived at Kara's apartment, he set her down and waited for her to speak.

"Yo-You're a speedster?" Kara asked, very confused.

"Yes. One you may very well remember." This time Barry didn't mask his voice. Kara, upon hearing his true voice, shifted her expression from confusion to an awesome realization.

"B-Barry?"

Barry didn't reply but merely bowed his head, dropped the hood and pressed into the bands of leather, and pulled off the mask, Hooking it on his belt in the back.

"Miss me?"

* * *

 **A/N: There you go! Barry has finally revealed himself to someone. I can't wait for the next chapter! I should be updating within the weekend. Please review. Thanks!**


	4. Reunions

**A/N: Welcome to Resurrection chapter 4! As always please leave a review and tell me how I'm doing. Thanks!**

* * *

Kara stood frozen in place for what felt like an eternity, with a shocked expression frozen as well. "Barry? The flash Barry? No, no, that can't be. He's dead! Maybe he's a bizarro or a shape-shifter metahuman or alien?" Kara thought, deciding that this can't actually be him. Kara reached out a hand as if she was about to cup his face. Barry stood still until Kara swung at Barry with all her might. Barry, shocked, moved to duck away from the punch. Kara proceeded to kick Barry, him dodging each kick.

"No, no, no, no! Kara, it's me, Barry! You- Your name is Kara Zor-El, born of Krypton until it was destroyed when you were a kid. You crashed here on earth and moved in with the Danvers. You're one of my best friends." Barry said in an attempt to persuade Kara that he was actually himself. Barry grabbed a chair and placed it between them as he backed away. Kara seemed unfazed, as she smashed the chair and moved in.

"I'm not a shapeshifter!" Barry cried, trying to get Kara to believe.

"Then you're Bizarro!" Kara shouted, charging up her heat vision. Barry continued to back away until he hit a wall.

"If I were Bizarro, would I have saved you? If I were a shapeshifter, would I be able to use my powers?" Barry shouted, hoping that she would believe before having to take her down. Luckily, Kara seemed to start to believe him. Kara's eye's stopped glowing and she slowed her pursuit.

"B-Barry?" Kara whispered, realizing that the man in front of her was her longtime and best friend.

"Yes, yes it's me!" Barry sighed, relieved that he didn't have to do anything that he would later regret. Kara launched herself at Barry, nearly crushing him, again. Barry wrapped his arms around her and vibrated ever so slightly so that he wouldn't be crushed. After a long time of just standing there, both seeing each other for the first time in two years for Kara and 40 for Barry, they separated.

"But-but HOW?! How are you alive? Your body was just a-a bag of blood!" Kara shouted, still in awe of what she was seeing in front of her.

"Right after I died, I woke up in the speed force. That's what gives me my speed. They said that because of the good I did with my powers, that I was able to be resurrected as long as I worked for them for 40 years." Barry explained, sitting down on the couch, motioning for her to sit next to him.

"How have you not aged? You look just like you did two years ago."

"The speed force exists outside of time. I didn't age there because to my body, time wasn't passing."

"Wow. Who else knows?"

"No one. I told you first because I need advice, and you're the only one who knows what I've gone through feels like."

"What do you mean?"

"In the speed force," Barry explained, "I was a bounty hunter. I went after speedsters who threatened the timeline or the multiverse. Some of them only wanted to fix something in their past, such as me with flashpoint. Most, However, used it for evil reasons. Destroy their enemy as a kid, create a dictatorship, and other horrible things. I was to protect the timeline of as many earths as possible. I was successful most of the time, but there was one time I failed. On an earth almost identical to mine, a man decided that he wanted to go back in time and create the atom bomb for Germany before America could. This moment was early in my training, so I wasn't as powerful then as I am now. I nearly had the guy when he managed to land a shot into my chest while I was distracted saving a hostage. At that time I couldn't heal fast enough to take him down so I had to watch as a salvo of nuclear missiles launched into the sky. I eventually healed and flashed over to America trying to warn everyone of the disasters soon to come. I was too late and I arrived to do a wasteland of screams of pain and cries for help. Every country other than Germany was wiped out by nuclear blasts and fallout. Even then Germany soon followed because of the tarnished atmosphere. Even now when I close my eyes I hear more screams than anyone could ever imagine. The things I saw, the corpses, the destruction, the loss, it was more than you could ever believe. I grabbed onto that pain and used it as an incentive to train harder, train better. I'm scared to show myself to the rest of my friends because of what they will see in me. The Barry that they lost is by no means the Barry that has returned."

Kara was dumbfounded by what she heard. The horrors that he had seen were far more than what she saw. Granted, she knew the people that she lost, but she couldn't see the deaths. And Barry didn't know the people that died but he had to see their bodies, the viscera, the blood. Kara then remembered the mission to save her from Darkseid. One of the first things that Barry did was kill the two parademons that were charging at him. He was right. The Barry in front of her was not at all the Barry that died two years ago.

"So you came to me to ask how you should handle facing your friends and family with the pain you carry around?" Kara asked, trying to think of a way to help him.

"Y-yes," Barry responded, afraid to look Kara in the eyes. Before now the weight of the wasteland attack didn't bother him. he needed it to make sure no more innocents were killed. But now he had to look his friends in the eyes and let them see what he has to carry.

"Well, the first thing that you will have to do is talk to them about your killing policy. I don't see you being able to stop immediately considering that you killed those parademons without a second thought. As for them seeing the burden you carry, it comes with being a superhero. Granted, only a few see have seen loss on that scale, but loss none-the-less. They will see what you're going through. They may not be able to understand the amount itself, but they won't shun you for it."

"You know, I counted the number of deaths one day. I pushed it down, but talking about it has resurfaced the number. The earth was far more populated than either of our earths. A total population of 13.7 billion people, 6.3 of that were kids. To this day I regret trying to save that one hostage. Because of that, everyone, including that hostage, was killed off. I now use my increased thought speed to run through the possible outcomes and choose the one with the least amount of deaths. Usually, the choice is morally correct, but sometimes it is most definitely questionable."

"Well, that's for you and your team to decide whether or not to continue doing that. Just remember that sometimes you can't save everyone. Now, you are going to go reintroduce yourself to your team."

"Alright," Barry said, standing up and pulling Kara up with him, "I'm willing to bet that your friends, sister, and the DEO are going absolutely insane right now. How 'bout I give you a ride over there, for old-time sakes?"

"Sure!" Kara said, smiling wildly that her "super-friend" was back from the dead. Barry put on his mask, picked her up and ran to the DEO HQ and dropped her right in the center of the area. Alex rushed and Winn rushed over to her and pulled her into a tight hug, as Barry watched from the side. When they separated, Alex turned to Barry.

"And who are you?" Alex asked, on edge from the masked stranger in the HQ of a top secret government facility.

"An old friend," Barry said as he pulled off his mask and smiled. Alex froze up, jaw dropped to the floor. He stayed just long enough for them to see his face, then punched the air beside him and left Earth-38.

"Bu-but he's-"

"Not anymore he isn't. I'll fill you in on it later."

* * *

Cisco ran back to the cortex dumbfounded by what he just saw. They hadn't encountered any speedsters other than Wally, Jesse, or Barry ever since Savitar.

"You guys saw that right?" Cisco shouted, out of breath from what he just saw.

"Yeah. Another speedster? And why was he on top of S.T.A.R. Labs, or why was he wearing a suit?" Caitlin asked, biting her lip.

"Did you guys happen to see his face?" Cisco asked.

"Nope. We did catch the outline of it when he motioned towards you, but nothing more. The thing is though, the little that we did see looked a lot like Barry." Jesse responded.

"There's no way it's him! Even if he did somehow wake up in a pine box, he would die again instantaneously because he has nothing inside of his body." Caitlin said, hating talking about Barry. The whole experience was bringing back memories.

"So," Cisco said, "it's got to be a new speedster-"

"Guys," Joe stormed in, "Barry's grave is dug up!" The entire team jumped at Joe's sudden arrival but shock immediately turned to dropped jaws. "I was walking up to his grave when I saw upturned dirt. I talked to the groundskeeper and he said that he thought he saw a man climbing out of the ground, but didn't report it because he thought no one would believe him." Everyone in the room beside Joe looked at each other.

"We just saw a man that looked ever so slightly like Barry. He was on the roof and his back was facing the camera. We only saw the outline of the side of his face and his back, but he also was a speedster." Cisco spoke slowly, as if not believing the words he was saying, let alone Joe's.

"Why don't we go see this grave for ourselves?" Wally suggested, thinking that this can't be Barry, someone simply dug up his grave. It does happen.

"Sure. I'll drive." Joe said, motioning for them to follow.

* * *

After a very anxious car ride, the five finally arrived at the graveyard. They all ran to the grave, Joe the only one not expecting to see a normal grave. Soon they arrived at the site. Infront of them was a hole, just big enough to fit a person with the body of a speedster. Around the hole were fresh dirt and small bits of wood. Caitlin was the first to speak.

"Is he still in there?" Caitlin asked, looking at Wally and Jesse. Immediately the two speedsters sprang into action, digging further into the grave. Eventually, they reached the coffin and removed the broken lid. The two climbed back up and stared at an unexplainable sight along with the rest of the group. The coffin was full of dirt, and nothing but. There was no body inside the coffin.

"Wh-where is Barry's body?" Caitlin asked, not knowing what to do.

"There's no way that someone was able to steal his body from a hole the size of what we saw when we first got-" Joe was cut off by a breach opening behind them. The team turned to look at the swirling vortex and froze, fearing what was on the other side. After a moment, a figure in a leather suit and hood with a metallic mask stepped through. Jesse and Wally prepared to run, Catlin rose her arms at the figure, Cisco rose only one, and Joe reached for his gun. The figure didn't twitch at the actions, merely staring at the group.

"Who are you? Did you do this?!" Cisco shouted, fearing the answer.

"I guess you could say that." The masked man said, not bothering to change his voice. The group's eyes widened as they started to recognize the voice. The man bowed his head, threw back the hood, removed the mask, and looked up at a large mixture of expressions. Cisco dropped his hand, widened his eyes, and drew in a deep breath. Caitlin started tearing up and moved her hand to her mouth, covering it. Joe put his gun back, slowly moving towards Barry. Jesse relaxed her muscles but remained unmoving. Wally shortly had a look of shock, but it quickly turned to an ear-to-ear grin.

"Oh, and by the way Cisco, don't call me 'Suit'."

* * *

 _"It's been five months since Barry's death and we still can't find a safe way to defeat this telekinetic," Wally said to the team at the S.T.A.R. Labs cortex, frustrated that the team hasn't found a way to take down Barry's killer._

 _"All we know is that we have to take him down by surprise. Any other way and he'll shred us alive." Caitlin added._

 _"We need to think about whether or not killing would be an option." Harry pointed out, earning "are you serious" glances from the entire team._

 _"Look. I don't like it any more than any of you do, but do you really think that will be able to contain him, let alone knock him out without alerting him? Even if Wally were to knock him out, were not even sure that the pipeline or Iron Heights could hold a metahuman of his power. Wally could, however, run in and send a hand into his chest from behind before the guy has a chance to respond." Harry explained, trying to show that their morals might not be able to work with taking him down._

 _"I don't know. Do we really want to resort to killing just because it's too hard to not?" Wally asked, not sure how to feel about killing someone._

 _"I don't know. Do we really want another case of being helpless as he shreds another loved one to pieces? More people could die if we don't kill him when we have the chance." Harry retorted, hoping that someone would listen._

 _"Let's think about this. We haven't seen him for a few months now so maybe we still have some time." Cisco said, hoping to end the conversation while he could. Talking about the cause of Barry's death wasn't easy for anyone._


	5. A Stranger

**A/N: I AM SO SORRY! I did not mean for it to take me this long to update! I recently had surgery so I have been bed-ridden for the past week. Sadly school is back and I won't be updating as often, but I will do my best to make sure it doesn't take this long again. To make up for it, this chapter is quite a bit longer than the others. I hope you enjoy! Oh, there quite a bit of Gore at the end so be prepared for that.Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics, CW, or any of its stories and characters.**

* * *

Joe was the first to reach Barry. He threw his arms around Barry with a strength to rival Supergirl. Barry quickly returned the hug, silently giving a small smile. After a minute he reluctantly let go to allow for others to welcome him back to the Land of the Living. No one was able to speak, each to shocked, surprised, or on the verge of tears to make any noises. Cisco was the next to find his strength to move. He approached Barry slowly as if it were a dream. When he finally reached Barry, he poked his shoulder to see if he was real and not some vibe. Barry responded by letting out a light chuckle, followed by the first word to be uttered after what felt like hours.

"I'm real, Cisco," Barry whispered, knowing not to do anything but let them all react how they need to. Cisco's open mouth turned to an ear-to-ear grin after hearing Barry speak once again. Cisco wrapped his arms around Barry.

"H-how?" Cisco whispered, barely being able to make any noise at all.

"I'll explain when everybody is done greeting the dead man," Barry responded, lightly pushing Cisco away and bracing himself for the next hug. Cisco stepped away and looked toward the three that hadn't yet approached Barry. Wally walked up to Barry, laughing and hugging him for a brief second.

"Man, you are a sight for sore eyes, Barry. It's good to have you back." Wally said.

"It's good to be back," Barry nodded. Wally walked back to Jesse and pulled her to his side. Jesse still couldn't move or speak, opting to hang back. Caitlin was quietly crying tears of joy through the event. She couldn't take her eyes off of Barry, dreading that the moment that she did he would be gone and she would wake up from a dream. Barry's death was the final nail in the coffin for Caitlin. She had experienced more loss in her life than most anyone else would in ten. With Ronnie's two deaths, Jay's betrayal, and the loss of her sanity from her powers before she learned to control them, she was only able to stay strong because of her friends. But even their help had its limits. Barry's death had the most impact. Not only was he someone very close, he was also the driving force in keeping her above water. She lost everything at his death, and Cisco was only able to help so much. She dove into her powers, refusing to let anyone else that was close to her die.

No longer able to hold back the tears, Caitlin threw herself at Barry. She held onto him like he was like life itself. In a way, he was for her. Sobs wracked her body, causing Barry to hold her even tighter. He rubbed her back soothingly, trying to calm her. " _If this is how she reacts, how will Iris?"_ Barry thought, realizing how much his death must have affected her. After another eternity, Caitlin finally pulled away. She looked up at Barry, who gave her a wide grin, waiting for her to say something.

"I-it's... it's r-really you!" Caitlin exclaimed, voice weak and quivering from the impossibility that was standing in front of her.

"Yeah Cait, it's really me," Barry responded, setting his hands on her shoulders. Caitlin went back in for another hug, still scared that he would disappear. Barry wrapped his arms back around Caitlin and addressed the team.

"It's good to be back, guys. I didn't really prepare what I was going to say, so I'll just answer questions back at S.T.A.R. Labs. I'm sure you all have lots. I'm willing to bet we're soon going to be drawing attention if we stay here much longer, so we should move our discussion back there. You guys go on ahead, I'll meet you guys there." Everyone nodded in agreement, Wally grabbed Joe, Jesse ran on her own, and Cisco opened a breach for Caitlin and himself. Barry softly pulled away from Caitlin, whose eyes were red from crying so much.

"Go on. I'll be there soon," Barry reassured her, receiving a nod from Caitlin, who reluctantly turned away and walked into the portal, followed by Cisco. Barry stood there for a moment, taking in all that was happening to him.

* * *

 _The day had arrived. The day that Team Flash would hunt down Barry's killer. It had now been eight months since Barry's death. They decided that they would not kill him. They refused to become him. Cisco refused to give Barry's killer a name, not wanting to cement him in their memories._

 _"Okay," Caitlin said, "_ _let's go over the plan again." She was subconsciously trying to stall the mission. Even though she helped with the planning, she still fought tooth and nail to prevent risking the loss of another friend._

 _"Alright." Wally began to explain the plan for the nth time. "I'll flash over there and get into a hiding position, masked additionally be the cover of night. I wait until he is distracted with something and I rush in. The entire time I'll be sped up so I can react fast enough. I will try to knock him out with one hit. If he catches me before I can, or he isn't knocked out, Cisco will ambush him from behind. Ideally, he will drop me and give me a chance to use our last resort." After a painful silence, Cisco spoke up._

 _"Listen." Cisco addressed the team, "We are about to up against a man that can kill us all in an instant. If we don't get him down immediately, we have to do what ever it takes to use the last resort. We need to give this guy what he deserves." The team nodded, all silently dreading what was to come._

 _After everyone got in position, Wally observed the scene. They were all in a warehouse with about ten other people inside, all dressed in heavy armor holding multiple guns. The man was nowhere to be seen. Wally looked up and saw Cisco and Caitlin hiding in the rafters above. Jesse was outside the building, waiting for her cue. After a few minutes, Wally saw the man step out of a room on the wall opposite him. He walked over to one of the men and began speaking with him._

 _"Now's our chance," Wally whispered into the coms. "Three, two, one, here we go!"_

 _Wally jumped out of his hiding spot and ran straight towards the man. Wally put everything he had into his punch and aimed for his head. The man went flying, but only for a split second. Almost immediately the man stopped mid-air and repositioned himself on the ground. He immediately shot out a hand towards Wally and lifted him up into the air._

 _"Well, would you look at that! The Late Flash's friend! You know, I was planning on destroying S.T.A.R. Labs with you in it, but I thank you for saving me the-" The man was cut off when a blast of vibrational energy hit him in the back. The man dropped Wally, who started carrying out their last resort._

 _Wally ran and knocked out all of the other soldiers and began creating a breach into the Speed Force. Caitlin jumped out of the portal and began freezing the telekinetic. Jesse ran into the building and helped Wally create a breach. The telekinetic was pushing out telekinetic energy, nearly overwhelming Caitlin and Cisco, but he didn't have enough time, as Wally and Jesse finally created a stable breach into the Speed Force. In a blur of lightning, Jesse grabbed the man and threw him into the breach. Wally ran up and grabbed hold of him and carried him into the Speed Force. Wally focused his mind on a specific date. October 13th, 2022. He was going to drop off the man there, giving them over a year to come up with a way to stop him. Eventually, Wally reached the date and ran out of the Speed Force, taking the man with him._

 _Wally stopped at an alley and threw the man against the wall and ran back into the Speed Force. He traveled back to the past and stopped once again at the warehouse where the fight took place. The team looked at him with questioning faces. Wally simply responded with a nod._

 _"So... What do we do now?" Caitlin asked._

 _"Now?" Wally answered, "Now, we prepare. We have over a year to Figure out a way to stop him, and now we know where he will be. We can set up defenses at the alley where I threw him. We learn everything we can about him. Cisco, I trust that you got the sample that I requested?" The team turned to look at Cisco, no one knowing what Wally meant other than Cisco._

 _"Yeah. While he was down I managed to take a sample of his hair and scrape off some of his skin. I'll see what I can do."_

 _"Good. Come on, let's go home."_

* * *

Barry placed his mask back on and ran out of the graveyard. After he left he realized that he needed to find out about his killer. If he was still around, that meant that the city was still in trouble. He had faced a few telekinetics during his time with the Speed Force, so dealing with him should be easy. Barry decided that the best course of action would be to simply go to S.T.A.R. Labs and figure out what to do from there. He ran to S.T.A.R, careful to minimize his visibility. He wasn't yet ready to reveal himself as the Flash. Once he arrived, he found everyone in the cortex, all discussing something about someone arriving soon. When Barry walked in and pulled off his mask, everyone stopped talking and turned to look at him. Barry looked at them briefly, his gaze eventually landing on his suit. It was in the case inside the wall as usual but it was slightly different. The lights were dimmed, giving a solemn feel to the display. Seeing his suit for the first time in 40 years sent a mixture of emotions through him. There were traces of nostalgia, but it was quickly overwhelmed by a pang of pain and sorrow. Barry approached the case, his face darkening with every step. He stopped a few feet in front of it and took in the emotions coursing through him. He was no longer that man, no, that boy that was the Flash. He was something... different. The pain he had felt, the amount of lives he had shattered with his decisions, they had made him into a monster. A killer, who would take a life without a second thought. And he was okay with it.

Barry turned and looked at the team, who had fallen back ever so slightly to give him room.

"So. I know you all have questions, and I will try to answer all of them. But first I need to know one thing. The man that killed me. What did you guys do with him?" Barry asked, needing to know if he needed to intervein.

"That's actually what we were talking about when you walked in." Wally started. "A little over a year ago, we decided that we needed to be able to plan on how to stop him without him constantly attacking the city. So, we managed to grab him and send him to the future. I ran him to October 13, 2022. Three days from now. We still haven't found a way to take him down without a high risk that we will lose one of our own."

"Alright. I'll take him down." Barry said nonchalantly, earning faces of pure protest from the entire team, the most furious coming from Joe and Caitlin. Joe because he just got his son back, and Caitlin because, well, she's always protested things like this.

"Like hell you are! Barry, we just got you back by some miracle! I'm not losing you again!" Joe exclaimed, obviously furious that he would even suggest going after his killer.

"He killed you the last time that you went after him! He will do it again!" This time it was Caitlin that screamed at him. She couldn't believe that the first thing that he does after the get him back is run to the thing that killed him. She can't lose him again.

"I'm going after him. That's final." Caitlin was about to cut in when Barry started speaking again. "After I died, I woke up in the Speed Force. They said that because of what I did with my power when I was alive I could have a second chance. They said that if I worked as an agent for them for 40 years that they would resurrect me not too long after my death. I accepted and became an agent of the Speed Force. They trained me to become more powerful than I ever thought possible. I have fought multiple telekinetics and won almost every time. I only lost twice. When I was alive, and when I was early in my training. There is no way that I can lose." Barry finished, looking at the team with faces like he was rising from the dead. Oh, wait...

"So let me get this straight." Cisco was the first to talk. "You've been gone for 40 years? First off, _awesome_! Second, why didn't you come tell us?"

"I was forced to cut off all connections to my old life. Every love, friend, every single person that I knew I had to remove every feeling towards them. This was to ensure that if a mission brought me to your time, which it did a few times, that I wouldn't let my feelings get in the way of saving people's lives. This removal is still mostly in effect." Barry explained, with the last statement pertaining to Iris. After this, both Joe and Caitlin backed down, though neither were okay with him doing the mission.

"Now. Tell me everything that you know about where and when he will be arriving."

* * *

Three days had passed and the team was still fighting to keep him from going. Barry still hadn't revealed himself to Iris yet, as he needs to make sure that his killer can no longer torment his friends and family. Even after that, he knew that he would never return to Iris as he was 40 years ago. He kept telling himself that he was doing it to protect her from him but deep down he knew that he didn't want to be with her anymore. Barry walked out of the room he had been staying in ever since he woke up and re-introduced himself to the team. According to Wally, the man was going to arrive soon. Barry walked to the cortex to find Cisco, Caitlin, and Harry sitting at the main desk, Wally and Jesse both adjusting their suits.

"You two are not coming with me," Barry said, voice firm and not leaving any room for discussion. Regardless, Wally still protested.

"Barry, we don't know how this is going to play out. You need to let us come with you!"

"No. I'll be fine. He will kill you if you come along. Stay here!" Barry shouted. He was more than willing to lock them in the pipeline to ensure that they don't come along. "I need to be able to focus when I fight him. I won't be able to if you guys are there. Please, stay." This time Barry's voice was softer, but still firm. Wally looked like he was about to protest, but Jesse stopped him.

"Wally, he's right. He's been doing this for a long time, and we'll just get in the way." Jesse said, taking off her mask. Wally relaxed, nodding his head. At this, Barry turned to the others.

"I've thought about it, and I'm gonna go out there in my Flash suit," Barry stated, earning wide eyes from Cisco and Caitlin.

"You- are you sure you're ready?" Cisco asked, remembering discussions that they've had throughout the last few days. They told him that he should reveal himself to the city as the Flash, but repeatedly he said that he wasn't ready for it. He still hasn't told them about the massacre with the nukes, and along with it, him being completely okay with killing. He knew that he would kill this man, and to be honest, he was going to do it brutally. He didn't know how to tell them, so he settled on showing instead.

"Yeah. The city needs its protector back and he needs to know that killing me was the biggest mistake of his life. Do you guys have comms for me to use?" Barry asked. Caitlin jumped up and ran over to a table in another room. When she emerged, he was holding a pair of in-ear comms but they were smaller than he last remembered. Caitlin noticed his confused expression and explained.

"We made some enhancements to them. Clearer audio, a bit more comfortable, the works. We also put a camera on your emblem so we can see what's going on." She gave the comms to Barry who put them in his ears and walked back over to the desk. When he did, an alarm sounded and Cisco jumped to the keyboard.

"Looks like our telekinetic just arrived," Cisco said, looking up at Barry. In an instant, Barry had his old suit on. Wearing it again was bittersweet. Barry turned to the team.

"It's time." Barry gave a quick smirk and ran. He ran to the alley where Wally dumped the man. Barry decided that this was the worst place for a final showdown. Barry grabbed him and ran to the bridge that he was killed on. He dropped the man, ran a few yards back, and turned on his comms so that the team could hear. The telekinetic was dazed for a moment but quickly gathered himself and dropped his jaw. Barry was the first to speak.

"Miss me?" Barry shouted, teasing his killer.

"H-HOW?! HOW ARE YOU _ALIVE_?" The man shouted, backing away slightly.

"That doesn't matter. What does matter though is that you killing me was the greatest thing that has happened to me! I have become faster, stronger, and smarter. And it's all thanks to you!"

"Maybe I should just kill you again!"

"Go ahead!" Barry shouted, hitting himself on the chest, obviously angering the man. " Go on! **KILL ME!** " Barry put his arms out and waited. Meanwhile, back at S.T.A.R Labs, the team was shouting at him to stop playing around.

"What are you doing Barry, take him down!" Harry shouted.

"Barry, hurry up before he gets you!" That was Caitlin. Barry remained stationary, not budging at their pleas.

"Fine!" The man shouted as he shot his hand out at Barry, lifting him up into the air. The team, who was watching on CCTV, was shouting even louder, not caring that Barry was obviously planning this. Barry let himself be lifted into the air, even putting on a smirk. The instant Barry felt the telekinetic energy begin to affect him, he started vibrating. Barry was able to feel the kinetic energy in the area around him and control it. He felt every car, every foot step, everything. Barry drew it all in, causing everything around him to stop moving. Except for Barry. He used that energy to vibrate so fast he was able to phase out of the energy binding him. Barry dropped to the ground and pushed the kinetic energy back out again. Barry, on the other hand, continued to vibrate, making himself immune to the man's powers. Tthe team watched on in awe as the man continued to attempt to crush him, but to no avail. Barry started walking towards the man, the energy being thrown at him having no effect. Soon, Barry reached the man and grabbed him by the throat.

"Good job Barry. Bring him in." Caitlin said over the comms, still shocked from what she just saw. However, the shock quickly turned to horror as she saw what Barry did next.

"No." That was all Barry said before he ran away from the area, spectators still stunned by what they just saw. Barry arrived at a nearby roof and began vibrating his free arm and using it as a buzz saw against the man's limbs. The team pulled up the footage on Barry's chest camera and saw Barry cutting off the mans limbs one by one, screams filling the sky and the cortex. Everyone in the room was much too horrified to do anything as Barry tortured the man. After all of the limbs were removed Barry threw the barely alive remains of his killer to the ground and drove a hand through his head, causing the mans head to pop open. Barry stepped back and stood there for a moment before picking up the pieces and running to a volcano and disposing of them there.

Barry arrived back at the cortex and saw faces of pure horror, but a few had a slight amount of understanding mixed in.

" _Who are you?_ "

* * *

 **A/N: There you go! Once again, I am so sorry for the wait. I hope you enjoyed the read! Please review and tell me how I'm doing. Thanks!**


	6. Reasons

**A/N: Welcome to Chapter 6 of Resurrection! I'm really excited for this one, definitely gonna be using some inspiration from Doctor Who. As always, please leave a review! I read every one and love all of them. Thanks, and enjoy! Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics, CW, or any of their characters and shows.**

* * *

 _"Who are you?"_

Caitlin's words rang through Barry's head like a bell. He was afraid of this. Them seeing him, the real him. They have learned that their Barry died that day. That the man standing in front of them was a stranger.

"Not the man that died 2 years ago," Barry responded, attempting to remain grounded.

"Not even close! You _killed_ him! Tortured him! How are you any better than him?!" Caitlin hissed.

"Maybe I did go a little overboard, but it had to be done."

"I agree that it had to be done, but you could have done without the torture, Allen," Harry added, infuriating Caitlin even more.

"A little? **A LITTLE?!** You tortured and killed a man! It doesn't matter who he was, he should have been brought to justice! Not killing is what separates us from them!"

"Tell that to the 13.7 _billion_ people, 6.3 of which were kids, that died because I refused to kill!" Caitlin's face turned from furious to shock and confusion. Barry let out a breath and continued, "There was a world not unlike ours that was destroyed by nuclear bombs scattering the earth. I could have stopped it if I had only done my job and killed the time traveler before he could launch them. It was my morals, my refusal to do what was necessary that killed _everyone_ on that earth! You think that you know pain, that you know loss?! I have seen tragedy like you wouldn't believe, and I have lost things that you will _never_ understand! Constantly, I hear their screams, their cries for help _ringing_ through my head! I see their corpses, the destruction, and it's burning, and searing, AND IT NEVER STOPS! And I have to live with that, each and every day. I promised myself, no more. No more unnecessary deaths caused by petty morals. That is who I am, that is what 40 years in **Hell** will do to you. And you all have to live with it. Yes, I will admit that I did go overboard in my method of killing him, but that is _not_ the worst thing that I have done."

Everyone was taken aback by what just unfolded. The pain and suffering in the eyes of the man standing in front of them were now very visible. One might argue that it has been the entire time that he was with them, but they simply refused to notice. The statement "you think that you know pain, that you know loss" hit Caitlin like a truck. He knew how much loss Caitlin has experienced, but it was as if he simply didn't care or knew that it was dwarfed by his pain.

"If you're going to kill, then do it without wearing the mask of a hero," Caitlin spat, before storming out of the cortex.

"Look." Cisco began, "You made a mistake. A big one, but a mistake none-the-less. However, a question does need to be asked. Are you going to give up killing? Or are you going to do that wearing the mask?" Barry looked away from the team, contemplating his answer.

"I'll do what I have to, to ensure the least amount of innocent deaths. If that means not killing, I won't kill. If it means killing, then I will kill." Barry replied calmly. He received a nod of understanding from Harry and Cisco.

"Alright, well I'm going home. It's been a long night." Jesse said, reaching out for Wally to follow.

"I'll go talk to Caitlin," Barry said, walking out of the cortex. He placed his hands on the was and vibrated, locating Caitlin. She was in Cisco's workshop, bent over in a chair. Barry ran to the entrance, stopping at the doorway to the room. Caitlin felt the rush of wind blow he hair everywhere, alerting her of Barry's presence. She slowly turned around in the chair, eventually facing Barry. She looked up at him, revealing a face wet with tears and eyes red. She was only able to look him in the eyes for a split second, before having to look away again. Barry walked up to her and squatted down to meet her at eye level. After a moment, she managed to look him in the eyes. In Barry's she found the pain and suffering from earlier, but mixed in was a small amount of guilt. In her's Barry found sadness and fear.

"I'm sorry." Caitlin broke the silence, causing Barry to make a questioning face.

"For what?"

"For storming out."

"You have nothing to apologize for."

"No, I should have stayed and talked it out."

"Well, here's your chance," Barry said. Caitlin sat up and began to speak.

"When I saw you, standing in front of your grave, my first thought was one of pure joy. I thought that the team could come together again, cheat time, make us whole again. I didn't for one second stop and think of what you went through. I pushed that train of thought away and only thought of the fact that the person that helped me through all the loss I had experienced, my rock, was back. I didn't even realize that that same rock was cracked beyond repair. To be honest, I don't blame you for killing that man. The torture, that was unnecessary, but I can understand why you killed him. just, don't make a habit of it, okay?"

"I don't plan on it. Like I said after you left, I'll kill only when it ensures the least amount of innocent deaths." Barry responded. Caitlin nodded and stood up, pulling Barry up with her.

"Alright. I'm gonna go home. You should go to Iris, reveal yourself to her now that the threat of your killer is gone."

"You're right. I'll see you tomorrow."

* * *

Barry placed his suit in the case and threw on a hoodie and sweatpants. He then ran out of S.T.A.R. Labs and ran to the building where Iris's apartment was. He ran up the stairs to the door of the apartment. Just as he was about to knock, he decided against it. Barry started vibrating and phased through the wall to his right and ended up in a dark kitchen. He immediately crouched down and crawled to the edge of the bar. He looked over the edge and saw Iris sitting on the couch watching the news.

"Earlier tonight, a fight broke out on a bridge in downtown Central City. Spectators watched as what appeared to be the telekinetic that killed the Flash, fighting, the Flash. This was the first..." The news droned on and on about who the man in the flash suit may be, but Iris seemed too stunned to be able to pay attention to the news cast. She pulled out her phone and called someone.

"Hey, Cisco, it's Iris. Listen, I just saw a newscast about a fight involving the Flash. Do you know if...? Oh - okay." Iris hung up the phone and sat back down on the couch. she placed her head in her hands and sat there.

Barry stood up and starting walking towards her. The instant his foot hit the ground, she jumped up, causing Barry to retreat to another shadow.

"Hello? Who's there?" Iris asked, looking around for a weapon. Barry decided that this was the time to reveal himself.

"You know," Barry said, walking out into the open, causing Iris to look at him, "They really didn't capture my good side on that footage." Barry continued to walk out until his face was fully visible. Iris was finally able to make out his face in the dark. As soon as she did, her hands moved to cover her mouth, eyes growing wide.

"B-Barry?" Iris asked, voice quivering from the tears that were stinging her eyes. Barry simply nodded. Iris walked around the couch and cupped his face in her hand.

"Yeah. It's really me." Barry said, smiling at her. Iris lunged at him, letting her sobs wrack her body. Barry stumbled back a bit from essentially being tackled by Iris. Barry regained himself and stood there, letting Iris cry against his chest. After an eternity, Iris pulled back to look at Barry. He wiped the tears from her face and chuckled."

"What?" Iris asked, filled with insurmountable joy from the man standing in front of her.

"Nothing, I just... it's good to be home." Barry said. He was genuinely happy but was fearing the moment when he had to tell her that he didn't want to be with her anymore. The 40 years in the Speed Force changed him, as shown by the events from earlier that night. She wouldn't love the man that he became. Regardless, his work over the last 40 years forced him to cut all ties to his former life. This meant his ties to Iris. That along with his corruption meant that they couldn't be together. To be honest, Barry could be with no one, at least not the Barry that he is now. "However, there is something that I need to tell you."

"Of course."

"I..." Barry stated, " I'm not the man that died two years ago. I'm different. The things that happened to me while I was dead... they made me into... into something that the previous Barry would be terrified of. And, because of this, I can't let people that were once close to me that close again. If I do, I run the risk of turning them into me, into a monster." Iris took in a deep breath, and hesitantly asked something that she wasn't sure that she wanted the answer to.

"Wha- what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I can't be with you the way that I was all those years ago. This doesn't mean that we can't be friends or partners in team Flash. It just means that I can't be in a relationship with you." Barry finished, not entirely sure what her reaction would be. Iris let the words sink in. They hit her like a sledgehammer to the chest. Her reunion to Barry was now bittersweet, however, the happiness of his return softened the blow. when Iris didn't respond for a few minutes, Barry decides to speak up.

"Iris-"

"Barry, just... leave. For now. I... I just need time." Iris blurted out, Barry returning with a solemn nod. He turned and walked out of the apartment. When he reached the street, he ran back to S.T.A.R Labs and fell onto the bed.

* * *

Barry woke up to the sound of a klaxon sounding through out the labs. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, stretching. After a moment, Barry sped into the cortex to find Cisco frantically swiping his fingers across a keyboard.

"What's up with the alarms?" Barry asked, causing Cisco to jump and jerk his head to look at Barry. Recognizing that it's him, he let out a breath and turned back to the computer.

"Sorry, still not used to you being here. Anyways, turns out that a meta is attacking... the Palmer Tech building."

"That's in Star City, right?"

"Yeah. Turns out that this guy has the ability to control some kind of energy. The report says that it looks like it's glowing yellow."

"Oh... great."

"What"

"He has the ability to control dark matter and energy."

"Wait, isn't that what metahuman abilities are made of?"

"Yup. Meaning that I have to take him down before he can steal my powers."

"Oh. Wait, it looks like Oliver and his team are there. I guess it's time to reveal yourself to them. Then again, they probably saw the newscast about you."

"If they did, they would have called."

"Oh, right. Well, are you going in Flash gear or Speed Force gear?"

"Speed Force. I need to be as prepared as possible."

"Alright. Let me get it." Cisco started typing again. After a moment, a section in front of the desk raised up out of the floor. A tube was inside holding Barry's Speed Force suit. Barry sped into it, without the mask.

"Contact Oliver's team. Tell them that help is on the way. Also, call Caitlin and have her get here, I'll need all the help that I can get."

"Of course. Oh, by the way, I installed the same tech that's in the emblem on your other suit into that one, so that we can monitor your health."

"Alright." Barry put on the mask and nodded to Cisco. He sent Caitlin a message and then hacked into the comms that team Arrow was using. Voices from the other side started filling the room.

"Alright go to your- oh no. Green Arrow, someone hacked into our comms!" Felicity screamed, causing both Cisco and Barry to wince.

"Don't worry, it's just me, Cisco."

"Cisco? What are you doing?!"

"Just calling to tell you that helps on the way," Cisco smirked, leaving their comms and nodding at Barry for his cue to leave. Barry ran at once, pulling kinetic energy in from all around him. He ran as fast as he could, arriving at Palmer Tech in less than a nanosecond. When Barry arrived, he stayed in slowed time, trying to give himself the best edge. Eventually, he found the lobby where Oliver and the meta were fighting. Barry ran up to the man and punched with all his might. The meta was definitely knocked out.

Barry returned to normal time, looking over at team Arrow. Oliver's bow immediately trained on Barry, along with Dig's gun, Thea's bow, and Rene's guns.

"Who are you?!" Oliver called, using his voice modulator.

"A friend," Barry responded, mocking with a voice that was only masking his identity for now. Barry picked up the meta, ran him to Iron Heights, ran back, and brought everyone to the Bunker in under a heartbeat. Once everyone regained their bearings, and Dig ran for a trashcan, they raised their weapons at Barry once again, Oliver sub consciously stepping in front of Felicity protectively.

"This time answer me! WHO ARE YOU?!" Oliver shouted once again.

"Like I said, a friend," Barry said, not masking his voice. Barry bowed his head and pulled back the hood, along with removing the mask. Barry placed the mask behind his back and raised his head. Barry was greeted with a multitude of expressions. Rene was confused, Diggle was wide-eyed, Thea dropped her jaw to the floor, Oliver furrowed his brow, while also dropping his jaw, and Felicity drew in a breath and grew a wide-eyed smile. After no one said anything for a moment, Felicity broke the silence.

"Barry?" Felicity asked, earning a slight chuckle and a nod from Barry. Felicity ran to Barry, crushing him in a hug. Barry returned it, eventually pulling back and smiling.

"Wait... aren't you that Flash guy, the one that died a few years ago?" Rene asked.

"I am him."

"How- how are you alive? Did Constantine do something?" Oliver asked.

"No, he didn't. Essentially, after I died, I was recruited by the Speed Force to work for them for 40 years. At the end of it, they would resurrect me."

"Wow," Oliver responded, not needing to say anything else.

"Man, I thought my life was weird enough with aliens, the multiverse, you. Now this?" Diggle said. Barry simply responded with a chuckle.

"So, are you going to be the Flash again?" Thea asked.

"Yeah. I've already taken on my killer as the Flash."

"He in Iron Heights, or the pipeline?" Oliver asked. Barry's face darkened, and he bowed his head slightly. After a moment, he shot his eyes up to look at team Arrow. The team didn't understand his reaction at first, but Oliver eventually got it. "You killed him, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"What did the Speed Force do to you?" Oliver asked, knowing that the old Barry wasn't a killer.

"The Speed Force didn't do anything..." Barry went on and explained the event that turned him into who he was today. Team Arrow simply stood in shock as they heard the horrors of what happened. When Barry was finished explaining, he waited for the team to respond. Oliver was the first.

"So you decided on doing what was necessary to ensure that the least amount of innocent lives were taken."

"Yeah. You know, you're the first person to get it before I had to explain my reason for killing."

"Well, I have the same outlook," Oliver responded. Barry nodded and turned to the rest of the team.

"Well, it's been really good seeing you guys again. If you ever need anything, know that you can call. I'll be here in flash." Barry smirked, before speeding out of the bunker and back to S.T.A.R.

"On the bright side, he still cracks the same jokes," Thea said, before turning back to Oliver and resuming the team's activities.

* * *

 **A/N: Here's the end! I hoped you guys enjoyed! My goal is to have a new chapter every week, but that might change based on school and other such things. As always, be sure to leave a review. Thanks!**


	7. The Making of a Madman

A/N: **Hey! Sorry for not sticking to my every week plan, but there is a reason. The first is that, with school now in session, I have realized how short a week actually is. Second, I am working on a super-secret project as a sort of a "spin-off" for this story that will also be taking writing time. Priority will come to this, however, as what I am working on will be long episodes with no real upload schedule. Ideally, I will be announcing it in a month or so. My schedule will hopefully be every week and a half, although that may change depending on how that plays out. Anyways, I hope you enjoy Chapter seven of "Resurrection"! Disclaimer: I do not own DC or CW, or any of its shows and characters.**

* * *

When Barry arrived back at S.T.A.R Labs, Cisco and Caitlin were sitting at the desk, staring at the computers, stunned.

"Uhh, guys?" No response. "Hello?"

"How - how were you going that fast?" Caitlin asked. "And how did your body not fizzle out of existence?"

"40 years of training with the thing that gives me my speed does wonders for it."

"Dude. This. Is. AMAZING! I mean, you were going faster than the speed of light! Way faster than it!" Cisco said, turning to look at Barry, face showing pure awe.

"Yeah. It feels amazing. Wanna see?" Barry smirked before grabbing both Cisco and Caitlin and running around the earth about 100 times. It took him about 5 seconds. When He ran back to the cortex and set them down in the center of the room. Cisco stumbled and fell, as did Caitlin. Barry ran and caught both of them. After she realized what just happened, she pointed to the med bay.

"Tests. Now." Caitlin instructed. Barry chuckled and walked over to the bed and sat down."Get back into your clothes-"

She was cut off by Barry's clothes changing in an instant as if his suit and his clothes just swapped places.

"Oh. Okay. Take off your shirt." Barry did so as Caitlin started placing electrodes on him. However, she stopped before she could place the first one. She stepped back and saw a torso full of scars and burns.

"What happened?"

"Years and years of war." Caitlin looked up at him in pity. After a second, she resumed her work and began running tests.

"Hey, guys! I might be able to make something to harness your energy!" Cisco piped from the other room. "You are creating so much energy now that I might be able to make something that will act as a reserve for speed. This means that if you are out of energy or need someone that isn't a speedster to help out, they can temporarily harness the speed force as well."

"Cool. When do you think it will be ready?"

"I'm not sure, But I'll tell you when it is," Cisco said. Barry nodded and turned his head back to Caitlin, who was about to draw blood.

"Anything interesting yet?" Barry asked Caitlin.

"I won't know until I test your blood. However, your heart rate is faster than even our machines can count, so that's something." Caitlin finalized the blood test. "Alright. While we wait for this, we should go over to the speed lab." Barry nodded and stood up. He grabbed onto Caitlin and ran to the speed lab. He set her down, but this time she wasn't as disoriented.

"Wow. You know, now that I'm not dizzy from that big run from earlier, I can see why you love running so much."

"Yeah. It's freeing." Barry responded, walking up to the track and getting ready to run.

"Wait! Shouldn't you change first so you don't burn up your clothes?"

"No. The speed force protects me from that."

"Alright," Caitlin said, "Get ready! And... GO!" Barry ran. He ran as fast as he could, not even leaving behind a gust of wind. He turned into a small blur, no lightning, no form, just light. Caitlin looked at the speedometer. It had maxed out at 999999 mph. Caitlin was once-again dumbfounded by the numbers in front of her. She set the test to run for 5 minutes. She sat back and watched the faint red circle that was stationary on the track. Soon, however, her awe was turned back to horror as she remembered the man that Barry had killed. The sheer brutality of the killing, the gore, all of it was burned into her mind. She must have been deep in thought, as in what felt like another second, the test was over and Barry was beside her, shaking her.

"Cait! CAITLIN!" Barry finally reached her, as she jumped and turned to look at Barry. When she looked, she didn't see the sweet and loving Barry from before. No, she saw a killer. It was just like the night before. Her face was frozen in fear, almost scaring Barry just as much.

"Hey, hey, hey... what's wrong?" Barry asked, attempting to make his voice sound soothing. Caitlin closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Sorry, it's just... I can't get the sight of that man out of my eyes. The one that you killed." Barry drew in a long breath and slowly shook his head.

"Yeah. It's not easy living with seeing those things. You never really get used to it, but you do get used to the feeling. I take it that my philosophy on killing that I told you isn't sitting right with you?" Caitlin hesitated for a moment but then responded.

"Not really. I mean, I get it. After seeing what you've seen, you want to make sure that it doesn't happen again. However, I just... I feel like there's always a better way."

"Not always. Listen, I understand that killing won't ever sit right with you, just as it wouldn't me if I hadn't seen what I have. And like I said, I will try to minimise it, but it will be happening. I'm sorry."

"I know. I'm just not hardened like you or Oliver. It's haunting me."

"Yeah." Barry chuckled, "Tragedy tends to do that. We both know what that feels like, huh?" Caitlin smiled and hung her head. After a moment, the terminal in front of her beeped.

"Oh! The blood test is done!" Caitlin shot up, doctor mode kicking in. She began walking out of the room, but Barry grabbed her and brought her to the med-bay before she could take two steps. She was finally getting used to having a speedster to run her places like before, so she didn't stumble. She ran over to the computer and began checking the results.

"Well, your blood is just as healthy and is regenerating at an enormous rate. Let me check the speed force levels..." Caitlin trailed off as she looked at the results. The amount of speed force in his cells was amazing.

"Well, what is it?" Barry asked.

"Cisco! Come look at this!" Caitlin called. Footsteps were heard as he approached the computer.

"What's going on...Woah." Cisco said with the same tone as Caitlin.

"What is it? What do you see?"

"That," Caitlin began, "Is your cells no longer harnessing the speed force. That is them controlling, manipulating it. I mean, the amount of speed force in your body is insane!" Barry looked shocked at the revelation. He knew that he now manipulated the speed force, but he didn't know how much was in his blood.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Barry said, "Being back here has distracted me from my training. I need to do a session."

"Where do you plan on training?" Cisco asked.

"There was an old training ground that first started using back when I started my work for the speed force. It's near the nexus... You guys don't know what that is. Sorry. Anyways, it's a place in the speed force where I trained. I need to go back."

"Wait, you're going back to the speed force?! What if something happens and we need you here?" Caitlin asked, slightly nervous about Barry returning to the place that held him captive for 40 years, just as Cisco felt nervous too.

"You'll be fine. You have Wally and Jesse. Besides, I'm not going away for that long again. Don't worry, I'll be fine." Barry said just as he sped off to the pipeline. He ran around it until a portal opened and he ran into it.

* * *

Barry stopped inside the speed force cortex. Inside of it was Harry.

"Hello, Barry. It's been a while."

"For me, maybe. I need to get to my old training grounds. Don't think I've forgotten 40 years of discipline." Barry said with a smirk.

"Of course, Barry." Harry gestured to his right where a portal opened. Barry nodded and stepped through the portal.

Barry arrived in a large building. The other hunters referred to it as the Watchtower. All across the building, you could see glimpses of different universes. Barry, however, was only interested in one thing. Because he was the best hunter out of the rest, he was given own training grounds where he could train to his heart's content. At least, until it was time for his next assignment. Barry turned to a wall and spoke the code word.

"Wraith," Barry stated, as he watched the wall open up and reveal an elevator. Barry stepped in and told the computer where to go from the list in front of him. The list had things from "Bar" to "Bed", and from "Armory" to "Lab." However, Barry picked the top of the list.

"Training," Barry spoke as the elevator started moving. After a few seconds, he arrived at the correct floor. As he stepped out, he took in the sights around him. It was a large room, about the size of a warehouse. Directly in front of the entrance was a rack with equipment on it. A spare speed force suit was sitting there. Barry threw it on and looked at his surroundings. First was a track for him to run on. It contained a computer that was able to replicate any form of obstacle, from different environments to meta-human or alien abilities. Then was a robot-looking figure with strange clothing on it. Barry was once told that telekinetics and Dark energy wielders were able to create these robots that can replicate meta-human abilities, allowing you to train on avoiding different abilities. There were a few other things in the room, but Barry only used the track and the robot unless something needed heavy training.

Barry ran over to the computer on the track and set it to do a full training session. This included about 30 seconds in every environment, along with varying meta-human abilities that could slow him down, such as cold or turtle powers. He then ran over to the robot and set it to sparring mode, which would put the user up against an opponent with their same abilities and experience. He then brought the robot to the track and started both programs at once, fighting the robot while also going through the track.

After many hours of training, Barry stepped off of the track and shut down the robot. He removed his suit, grabbed his clothes and stepped into the elevator. He instructed it to go to the bedroom, where there was a shower. He stepped out of the elevator, washed, threw on his clothes, and returned to the nexus. He ran over to the S.T.A.R. Labs cortex and found Cisco there.

"I'm done training," Barry stated. Cisco moved around and spoke.

"Good. I take it you want to return home?"

"Yes. Put me where I would be if time were passing naturally."

"Of course. See you soon, Barry." Cisco said, smiling. Barry simply nodded as he stepped through the portal.

* * *

Barry returned to S.T.A.R. Labs just where he left, in the pipeline. Barry sped to the roof of the Labs to look over the city. At this point, it was night time, and the city was alive. Barry sat down and watched. It had been so long since he was able to really look at a city without thinking tactically.

Barry wasn't sure how long he was sitting there, but eventually, the door behind him busted open.

"Barry! Come down to the cortex, now!" Cisco shouted. Barry turned around, looking at Cisco with a confused face, before speeding them both down to the cortex. Inside was nearly every member of team Flash. Wally, Jesse, Caitlin, Cisco, Harry, and Iris. Barry immediately noticed Joe's absence.

"Where's Joe?" Barry asked the team. They all immediately turned to face him. One face stood out, however. Iris was balling her eyes out. Wally was beside her, attempting to comfort her, but he had a face just as pained. Before anyone could say anything, Barry learned the answer. Rage began to boil inside of him, rushing through his veins much like his speed. Something had happened to Joe, and he was too busy training to save him. Barry turned to run but stopped just after he was facing away from them. That rage coursing through his veins fueled his speed, causing him to uncontrollably vibrate his voice. Barry glanced back at them.

"Where is he?" Barry asked, voice slow and deep, being vibrated to the point of intimidation. He had last used this voice on his last mission for the speed force.

"At his house. He-" Wally wasn't able to finish his sentence before Barry ran off to find Joe.

* * *

 **A/N: There is Chapter seven! I'm sorry that it's shorter than the previous two, but I wanted to get this out ASAP to get out the word of the longer schedual. I hoped you enjoyed, and as always please leave a review. Thanks!**


	8. Fires of War

**A/N: Hey guys! Welcome to Resurrection chapter 8! The reason that I got this out much earlier than I had planned was because of Labor day giving me an inordinate amount of time to write. Also, WE JUST PASSED 4000 VIEWS! Thank you guys SO MUCH for your continued support for this story. As always, please be sure to review! Disclaimer: I do not own DC, CW, or any of its shows and characters.**

* * *

Barry, after running to a store to grab some clothes, arrived at Joe's house. The rage of whatever happened to Joe was still boiling in him. Barry walked up to the steps leading up to Joe's house. Guarding them were two officers, both from when Barry was alive. He walked up to them, head tilted down and carrying a briefcase with his equipment, and spoke.

"Let me into the house," Barry said, lowering his tone. The officers stiffened.

"Sir, I can't let you in. It's a crime scene right now," One of the officers said.

"I said," Barry began, raising his head to look directly into the officers' eyes, "Let me into my father's house." Immediately both stumbled backward.

"Barry? Is that you?" The other asked, then continued, "Listen, I'm sorry, but we can't let you in. You're no longer on the job, although I'm sure that Singh will let you back on."

"In that case, I'm sorry," Barry said.

"For what?"

"This," Barry spoke as he raised both of his hands to the faces of the officers. Immediately, Barry snapped his fingers with a jolt of lightning, sending the two men to the ground, unconscious. Barry continued to walk up the stairs and into the house.

Barry saw numerous faces that he recognized. Singh was speaking to a detective to the side, and a few officers were talking to each other near the doorway. Barry didn't give them time to stop him, walking straight up the stairs to the bedrooms. He went into Joe's room and saw blood nearly everywhere. Also in the room was what he could only assume was another CSI. The man stood up and addressed Barry.

"Hey so- wait, who are you? You're not allowed up here." The CSI said, before promptly being sent unconscious by Barry. He walked over to the bed and viewed the scene.

Almost the entire bed was covered in blood, the pillow covered the most. Barry found bits of metal scattered around the pillow. He placed them into an evidence bag and continued searching for clues. He then found a hair, too long to be Joe's. He placed that into an evidence bag as well. Barry decided that he was here for long enough, and ran out of the house.

* * *

Barry stopped at S.T.A.R. Labs where the entire team was still gathered. When Barry arrived everyone turned to look at him.

"Where did you go?" Cisco asked, noticing the more formal clothes on Barry.

"The crime scene. They must have taken him to the hospital by the time I got there." Barry said.

"Wait, you went unmasked?! Who saw you?" Caitlin asked, shocked that he revealed himself to even more people.

"Two officers standing by the door and the CSI in his room. I knocked them all out, and no one will actually believe them if they say that they saw me."

"Well, what did you get while you were there?" Cisco asked.

"Some bits of metal and a hair." Barry pulled out both bags from his briefcase. "Caitlin, can you run these? I need to speak with someone."

"Yeah, sure," Caitlin said as she took both bags and walked off to the lab. Barry turned to the rest of the team.

"I'm gonna speak to the speed force, see if there's anything special that I should know about the case." Barry then sped off back into the speed force.

When he arrived, he found himself in Joe's house, with Iris in front of him.

"Hey, Barry," Iris said, turning from her place on the couch to look at him. "I take it that you're here about the attack on Joe?"

"Yes."

"Follow me." Iris stood up and walked out the front door with Barry following. The door opened into his old lab.

"The man who attacked your father is named Delmond Downs. He has a doctorate in theoretical physics. He was working on a project with wormholes when the particle accelerator exploded. Those mixed with the substance that he was working with to form a certain 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' scenario. Recently, he was completely corrupted by his evil counterpart, and has been trying his hardest to fight back ever since."

"Does he have any powers that I should know about?"

"None."

"Oh. Well, that's gonna be easy."

"Not so fast. He does have one thing that you should know about. He is a master of stealth. Not only is he like a shadow, but he is invisible to our method of vibrating an area."

"Oh. Well, let's hope that I can find him before another person is attacked. By the way, does Joe live?"

"Yes, but he is severely injured and will be in a coma for 3 months."

"Fun. Alright, put me back."

"Of course." A portal opened beside him, and he stepped out. He arrived back at S.T.A.R. Labs and ran to the cortex. Caitlin was just about to pull up the results of the scan when he arrived.

"Alright. The name of the attacker is Delmond Downs. He was last seen entering his lab about... three hours before the Particle Accelerator explosion. The metal bit you found appear to be from an axe. Barry, what did you learn from the speed force?"

"Apparently he was once a good man, even had a doctorate in theoretical physics. However, when a project he was working on mixed with the explosion, he started becoming evil. They described it as a 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' scenario. He doesn't have any powers, other than some tech that blocks him from my ability to vibrate an area to create a map." Barry explained, addressing the team. "Also, the speed force said that Joe would be fine, but he will be in a coma for a few months." At this Iris sighed in relief.

After a moment of silence, the klaxons sounded, alerting the team of an attack. Cisco jumped into action, swiping away at the keyboard.

"Okay, the metahuman app says that people are reporting a large monster walking through the streets. A description of the creature says that he is covered in what looks like many sharp bones, and appears to have no skin, only muscles." Cisco looked up at Barry to see if he recognized the description. Barry looked up in thought, squinting his eyes.

"Is there a picture?" Barry asked.

"Let me look... Here!" Cisco said as he sent the picture to the front screens. The picture showed a Hulk-like figure that was a pale white. Bones were shooting out from every which way. His eyes were glowing red, and two horns were shooting out. He seemed to have a beard of bone, along with jagged teeth. Bary sighed after he recognized the beast.

"I know what that is. It's one of the Doomsday clones." The team looked confused so he continued. "About two years before my return, I was sent on a mission to Kara's earth. An organization found remnants of a creature from another universe. They used the DNA to create an army of those things," Barry pointed at the screen. " We were able to shut down the cloning machine and kill about half of the army. However, their creators had a backup plan. To wreck havoc, they sent the reminders all throughout the multiverse and time. This must have been one of them. Luckily, the speed force sent some enforcers to kill the rest, so we should have backup."

"How powerful are they?" Caitlin asked.

"Very. In one universe, a single one almost wiped out the entire Justice League, a group of all the superheroes there."

"Yikes. You sure you wanna do this?" Wally asked.

"I have to. If given the time to evolve, he could single-handedly wipe out the all the armies on the earth. Either way, I'll have an enforcer to aid me. Get in position. Wally, Jesse, stay here. I'll be able to deal with it."

"You sure?" Jesse asked, "It sounds like you'll need all the help that you can get."

"An enforcer and I will be enough. Alright, let's do it." Barry finished before speeding into his speed force gear and running to the scene.

* * *

When Barry arrived at the scene, he was able to get a good look at the creature. He looked to be fairly new, not really evolved yet. Just as Barry was about to fight, Cisco called through the comms.

"Barry! A breach is opening above you!" Barry looked up and saw the breach. _Why would the breach open there? Unless..._ Barry thought as he saw what he was thinking. Out of the breach flew a figure. It looked around until it spotted Barry.

"What is that?" Caitlin asked, looking at the chest cam. Eventually, the figure landed. It was a man with wings and attire similar to Barry's but was more suited to open combat instead of stealth. The man walked towards Barry.

"Wraith! How are you here? Wait, is this after you were released back into your time?"

"Yup. How's it been Phoenix? I haven't seen you since you left for this mission."

"That's because I'm being released also! The Overseers said that this was my last mission. I would have gone back to my time but I don't really have anything to return to, so I decided to come here!"

"Awesome! So, how are we going to take this guy down?"

"Well, what about an infinite mass punch?"

"No, there would be too many casualties if I were to do that. You got any ideas?"

"Well, I was just gonna try to fight it like we did on the raid on the creator's base, but since you're here I've got a better idea."

"What is it?" Barry asked as Phoenix glanced back at Doomsday. It moved slowly, not realizing that it was about to be fighting.

"Alright. It will take some time, but it should take him down and hopefully not destroy the entire city in nuclear fire."

"Hopefully?"

"Look, if we do it right, it will work. First, you will need to distract him. Fight with him while I charge up a fire core. Once it's charged I'll hand it to you. My energy will mostly be drained, but I should be able to distract it for a moment. You won't have long, and the core could explode at any moment, so be careful but swift. Phase into Doomsday and leave it near his heart. If done properly his body should contain the blast and the radiation, although the cleaners will be getting Doomsday gut's out of the, well, everything for a few months." Barry nodded his head.

Phoenix closed his eyes and took in a deep breath and exhaled. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes to reveal two balls of blue flame covering his eyes. He rotated his shoulders, forcing the building energy to them. Suddenly, in a purely beautiful display, blue flames started creeping along his white wings. He extended them out to their fullest extent, making the length of both wings reaching over 30 feet. Eventually, the entirety of his wings was coated in the blue flame. Soon after, the flames spread from his back to his front and arms, coating them in a red flame. The flame spread to his legs, eventually coating him like armor. Lastly, the red flame shot up into his face, not creeping like the rest of it. His red face and body was in stark contrast to his blue eyes and wings.

The team back at S.T.A.R. Labs was mesmerized at the sight of the man flaming up. It brought a picture of Ronnie to Caitlin, giving her a sad smile.

Phoenix stretched his arms out and turned his hands, palms facing one another, and began channeling energy. As soon as the energy started leaving his body, Doomsday felt the power source. He turned and began charging towards Phoenix. Barry and Phoenix both nodded at each other. Barry then ran in front of Doomsday, trying to grab his attention.

"Hey! Down here!" Barry called. Doomsday stopped short, turning towards Barry. "Come on! Fight me!" Barry yelled as he began speeding around Doomsday at around Mach 10, just so that there would be some lightning behind him. Doomsday started swinging, quite fast for a creature his size. Barry simply ran, more than fast enough to dodge his attacks. Eventually, Doomsday started getting bored and started charging back at Phoenix. Barry noticed this and began throwing lightning at him at an amazing speed. Doomsday immediately turned and began charging at Barry once again.

"It's ready!" Phoenix shouted, obviously tired from putting that much energy outside of his body. Barry ran from where he was and grabbed the core. It was a ball of pure light. Blue, red, yellow, and white were swirling around.

"Once again, careful with it," Phoenix said before summoning a sword and whip of flame and charged at Doomsday. Barry, on the other hand, readied himself to run with the most volatile substance in the multiverse. After a moment, he ran.

Wind and electricity rushed passed him as he ran and jumped into Doomsday. Barry focused his vibrations and released his grip on the core. It started to fall right next to the heart, just like Phoenix said. As soon as he ran out, Barry ran up the next building and jumped off, grabbing Phoenix and falling to the ground. Barry broke a few bones, but they were healed before Barry could even feel the pain. He ran up to the top of another building and dropped Phoenix onto it. They both looked down at the ground and waited. After a moment, Doomsday started glowing. After another, He was all over the road, buildings, and nearby cars.

"Well. You were right." Barry said to Phoenix.

"About what?"

"That when we were finished, Doomsday would be everywhere."

"Oh. Yeah." Both of them laughed. Barry then addressed the team.

"Alright. We're coming home. Caitlin, prepare a bed for Phoenix. He's drained of his energy for now."

"Of course."

Phoenix removed his flames and flew.

* * *

Barry ran back to S.T.A.R. Labs as Phoenix flew overhead. Pheonix arrived a moment after Barry did, following where Barry ran, finding himself in the cortex.

Phoenix walked into the cortex, being greeted with Barry, Caitlin, Cisco, and Harry. The others had either gone home or went to the hospital. Caitlin waved to Phoenix.

"I take it you're Phoenix? Follow me." Caitlin nodded towards the med bay. Phoenix followed, folding his wings into his back, disappearing as if they weren't even there. He laid down on the bed as Caitlin started asking him questions as Cisco, Harry, and Barry listened.

"So, what are you? Meta-human?"

"No. I come from the planet Jewel. We are what most call 'Fire Angels'. Long ago my planet was in a war. I stopped it, but in turn killed both the enemies and the rest of my people. I managed to escape. Now, I'm the last of them, and they all died by my hand. I use that as encouragement, making sure that no one else has to feel the pain and the loss that I felt."

"Wow," Caitlin said as she began doing a usual health check up. "How do you know Barry, and how did you come to work for the speed force? Also, what should we call you?"

"We worked together as allies for the majority of our time for the Overseers, or what you call the speed force. After I managed to recover from the loss enough to work, I became a free lancer. Eventually, the speed force found me and offered me a job. After that, I found Barry and we became amazing friends and teammates on most missions. My old name was Samandriel, but you can call me Sam."

"Cool. Alright, your overall health looks good, except for a large gash in your stomach. I assume that you are also extremely drained?"

"Yes. After we deal with that I can heal the gash on my stomach with no problem. Barry?" Sam said, turning towards Barry with a sheepish look on his face. Barry responded with a questioning one before realizing what he was asking and replaced it with a pained one.

"What? What's wrong?" Cisco asked.

"Usually, to recharge him I would give him a ton of my energy since mine regenerates almost instantaneously. Thing is though, it hurts. A lot. The Parietal lobe, for some reason, is sent into overdrive, providing literally the most pain a mind can make. For a comparison, female speedsters have stated that trading energy is more painful than childbirth one hundred-fold." Barry stated, looking at Cisco and Caitlin for their reactions. Cisco's eyes were wide in shock, and Caitlin looked horrified.

"Won't that kill you?!" Caitlin said, doctor mode kicking in.

"Nope. Over 40 years I have developed quite the tolerance for pain. That doesn't mean it hurts any less, it just means that I can't die from it. In this case, I'm not sure if that's a good thing. But, it needs to be done in case there's another attack. Luckily for him, it feels like a gunshot, nothing more." Barry finished.

"Alright," Sam said, "Everyone stand back." Sam got up from the bed, clutching his stomach as he walked up to Barry. His wings sprung out but weren't at full length. Sam reached out his hand as Barry grabbed onto his wrist, with Sam doing the same.

"Ready?" Barry asked.

"Yeah. Good luck." Sam said as they began working. At the beginning, all they could see was lightning dancing around Barry furiously, while Sam's eyes and hands were covered in a blue flame. Nothing was said until Barry let out a horrific scream, ringing throughout the cortex. Barry started falling to his knees, screaming even louder. The electricity dancing around Barry began jumping over to Sam.

Barry felt nothing at first. Then, once he felt the connection, the pain sprung to life. Every cell in his body was being ripped apart and put back together again. The pain was unimaginable. First, it felt like his head was exploding. Nails and fire and slams all at once a million times over would be an understatement. Then, the pain shot to the rest of his body, igniting him in an inferno. After minutes of pain and suffering, it stopped. Barry collapsed to the ground and curled up into a ball.

"Barry!" Caitlin shouted, running over to him with Cisco just behind. She checked his pulse and sighed in relief discovering that he was alive. She moved to pick him up, and along with Cisco's help brought him over to the bed.

Sam removed the shirt part of his suit and revealed a long and deep gash that was bleeding horribly. Sam raised his hand and lit it up in a blue flame. This time, however, it didn't give off heat, like the other times he was ignited. Also, the flames seemed to be pulled towards the gash. Once his hand was close enough, the flames started dancing across the gash. As the flames touched it, the wound started healing nearly instantly, the two sides melding together. eventually, the gash was gone, as if it was never there in the first place. the only sign was the blood that was all over him.

"Woah. How did you do that?" Cisco asked, walking up to him and inspecting the previous location of the wound.

"I have the ability to produce two flames. One is red. That is the one that I can create with. Things like armor, weapons, shields, whips, and more. Then there's the blue flame. It will always be the color on my wings and eyes. The blue flame seems to have a seemingly magical power to it. Also, I can heal myself and others of wounds from small cuts to life-threatening injuries. The blue flame, if there is enough of it, could theoretically bring someone back from the dead. I would just have to coat my entire body in it, which at this point is nearly impossible. I just don't have the energy storage to do so."

"Huh. Cool." Cisco said, trying to act nonchalant about the whole thing.

"Do you guys have anything else to wear?" Sam asked, wanting to get out of his gear.

"Yeah. Here." Cisco ran and grabbed a S.T.A.R. Labs T-shirt and sweatpants and gave it to Sam. Sam extended his wings and sounded himself in them as he changed. When he opened his wings again, he was dressed in the clothes that Cisco gave him. Cisco was turned away, tense.

"What?" Sam asked, oblivious to the awkwardness he just started.

"No-nothing. Just... look, I get that you're covering yourself, but please leave the room before getting naked." Cisco said, turning back around.

"Okay," Sam said. Suddenly, the klaxons started blaring again, causing both Caitlin and Barry to run out of the med-bay.

"What is it?" Barry asked Cisco, who sat in his chair and began searching for the cause.

"Another attack by our favorite Axeman," Cisco said, looking up at Barry who had a raised eyebrow.

"Seriously? We're naming him after the serial killer? Also, I thought that you were good with names?"

"Just shut up and get to the crime scene!"


	9. Unforeseen Consequences

**A/N: Welcome to Chapter 9 of Resurrection! I was going to wait until the morning to put the chapter up, but I really wanted to get this out tonight, so here it is. As always, please follow and review. Thanks! Disclaimer: I do not own DC, CW, or any of its shows and characters. I do however own the plot of Resurrection.**

* * *

Two months had passed since Joe was attacked by Delmond. Barry still hadn't revealed himself to the CCPD, and still hadn't captured Delmond, who had attacked a number of other people. That would change, however, when Caitlin was kidnapped by Delmond. **(A/N: Why is it that 90% of the time someone is kidnapped, it's Caitlin?)** He had entered her apartment while she was sleeping and took her from there. No one knew until the following day when people were getting suspicious when she didn't show up to S.T.A.R. Labs and wasn't answering any calls. Barry ran over to her apartment that night and searched everywhere, but found no sign of her.

He ran back to S.T.A.R. and informed everyone of the situation. Sam offered to search from the sky, while everyone else worked on defeating Delmond. After about ten minutes, Sam returned.

"Hey, I found this at Caitlin's apartment." Sam then handed Barry a piece of paper with neat cursive. Barry began reading aloud.

 _Flash,_

 _I have found that the best way to hurt you is not to attack and kill you, but rather to hurt those around you. This woman, she proved to be quite a nuisance when we took her. However, a few blows to the head solved that problem. Anyways, I offer you this. You and all of your friends are now, most likely, standing in the main lab in your facility. As of now, you will notice that all of the possible exits are blocked._ Barry paused his reading and moved to run, only to find that he couldn't. _Also, I have placed a dampener in the facility that will block off all meta-human powers, until you escape. Have fun!_

Barry looked at the team, who were all shocked at what just happened. Barry was the first to point out the new text on the screens.

"Guys, look." Barry pointed to the screens, where a riddle was shown. It read:

 _The shadows have fallen,  
The night shall arise.  
The answers you shall find them,  
In the oh so dark skies._

"What do you think he means by that?" Barry asked.

"Is there some kind of observatory here?" Jesse asked.

"No, but there is a room that has a window for a small telescope."

"I'd say we start there," Harry said, "Ramon, would you lead the way?" Cisco nodded and began walking out the cortex with everyone following. After a moment, they reached the room Cisco had mentioned. Once they arrived, Cisco ran up to the window and looked out. Outside was multiple buildings and the vast night sky.

"Alright, let's see if there's anything here," Cisco said, beckoning the others to approach the window. After a moment, Cisco noticed that there were multiple marks on the window. "Hey, maybe these mean something?" Cisco said, pointing to the marks.

"They don't look like any language on this earth. What if..." Sam offered, pushing others out of the way to look at the window better. He began shifting his head until he rested on one position.

"Here! The marks line up with the rooms on the buildings. It seems to read: _behind you."_ Sam immediately turned around to find a piece of paper taped to the wall. "Look!" Sam ran over to the paper and picked it up off the wall. The paper held a shape. The main part was an oval. The oval had a vertical line going through the center. Two circles were on the inside along with multiple other shapes. Some lines were jetting out from the oval, surrounding it. Below the shape was the phrase: _Your key out._

"What is that?" Cisco questioned, asking what everyone was thinking. After a moment, Sam shot his head up in recognition.

"Wait! I think this is a fire rune!" Sam exclaimed, earning even more questioning looks from the team, except for Barry.

"What is that?" Cisco asked.

"A fire rune is a shape that a Fire Angel can make with the blue flame. They all do different things, but I assume this one is a transportation one. Let's head back to the cortex and see if it works." Sam said, beginning his walk to the cortex. After a moment of hesitation, the rest of the team followed.

When the rest of the team arrived at the cortex, Sam was studying the piece of paper. When he heard the others enter, he turned to face them.

"Hey! So, I think I can get us out of here since my powers are alien. Then, Barry can open all of the entrances and we can plan our next move." Sam said to the crowd, who nodded in agreement.

"You ready Sam?" Barry asked, stepping forward to meet Sam at his side. "You need some energy or do you think you have enough?"

"I have plenty. I'll do fine. Well, here goes nothing." Sam said. Barry stepped back and let Sam work. Sam extended his wings and lit them in a blue flame. He then extended a hand, which then was coated in the same flame. Sam closed his eyes for a moment and began focusing on two things. One was the shape of the rune he was to make. Second was the location. He focused on the parking lot of S.T.A.R. Labs. After a moment of silence, blue flame started pouring out from his hand into the air. The flames started to spread out, eventually creating the rune. The team was amazed by the scene. Ever since Sam's arrival, the team has slowly been turning into low-level pyro-maniacs. Soon after, the rune started pulsing with the flame, giving Sam the go-ahead to stop. Sam dropped his hand and hid his wings.

"Alright. Now what?" Cisco asked, jaw slightly open.

"This." Sam turned so that the rune was to his right. Sam was still in front. He looked at Cisco dead in the eyes and punched the rune. The rune fractured into thousands of tiny pieces. In its place was a swirling vortex of blue flame.

"Woah. Do we step through that?"

"Yup!" Sam exclaimed as he fell backward into the vortex.

"What are you waiting for?! Come on!" Barry exclaimed, jumping in after him. Everyone else followed. Cisco mimicked Barry, Jesse jumped in, and Wally and Harry looked at each other and both simply walked through.

When they both came out they were outside S.T.A.R. Labs. Sam made sure that everyone was out before nodding to Barry. He returned the nod before running around the building. After that, they all returned to the cortex to figure out how to save Caitlin.

* * *

Caitlin sat in the same chair that she was in for the last 12 hours. Multiple attempts to interrogate her failed. She refused to talk. Once again, two of Delmond's goons walked into the room. She looked at the gear they were wearing and knew that they were magic users. Multiple times they had tried to use magic along with other forms of interrogation.

"Here we are, once again. As always, have you decided to talk?" One of the goons asked, already knowing the answer.

"Never." Caitlin spat, earning two pitiful shakes of the head from the goons.

"That's too bad. Because this time, we have something special for you."

* * *

"Alright, here's the plan." Barry began. The team had geared up and was ready for action. "Phoenix will open a portal to her location using one of Caitlin's belongings. What did you choose?"

"I just ran to her apartment and grabbed a shirt."

"Alright. After that, I will run in and assess the situation. I will call back through the portal, signaling for the rest of you to come in. Once you are all in, Phoenix will close the portal. Cisco, when we find Caitlin, Grab her and bring her back. The rest of you, follow me and Phoenix to clear the compound. Ready?" Everyone nodded their heads. Sam grabbed onto the shirt and opened a portal.

* * *

One of the goons morphed into a strange shadow creature. It was low to the ground, very large, and had long arms and hands.

"Every time you refuse to answer a question, this thing will begin to corrupt your mind, causing immense pain. Ready?" Caitlin didn't respond, only showing a face of courage and slight fear at the sight of the creature.

"Fine. First, the Flash's friend, Phoenix. How do you hurt him?" The man asked. Caitlin said nothing. "Nothing? Alright. Do your thing."

The creature scurried across the floor at an immense speed. It crawled up Caitlin slightly and raised a hand to Caitlin's head. It began to pump darkness into Caitlin. Pain started seeping into her mind, causing her to start squirming in her restraints. Eventually, groans of pain began coming out of a clenched jaw. Just when she felt like she couldn't take it anymore, a bright light appeared behind the two goons. Out of the light came none other than Barry in his Wraith suit, minus the mask (the men already knew who he was). Barry searched the room until he spotted the man, the shadow, and Caitlin, who were all staring at him now, Caitlin looking with immense relief. Barry saw what they were doing and sprung into action. Barry pulled his knife and stabbed the man. He then grabbed the shadow and drove the knife into where its head would be. The thing morphed back into a man and fell to the ground.

"Now!" Barry screamed into the portal while working on the restraints. Everyone else jumped out, all ready for a fight. Sam waved his flaming hand in front of the portal, closing it. As soon as Barry got the restraints undone, Caitlin hugged him tightly.

"Thank you." She whispered, voice weak from the screaming that was occurring throughout the day.

"Anytime. Cisco will take you back to S.T.A.R. The rest of us will clear the area." Barry said, hugging her tighter for just a second, minding her wounds, before handing her off to Cisco. Barry turned around and was met with a blast of magic that he couldn't dodge. He immediately collapsed onto the floor. The others jumped into action taking down the one who fired at Barry and all the other people in the complex. Barry was brought back along with Caitlin.

* * *

It had been a week since the attack on Delmond's complex. The attack that Barry endured put him into a coma. Sam, Caitlin, and Cisco were all in the Cortex along with Barry, whose bed was positioned in front of the display case.

"Do you have any idea as to how to wake him up?" Sam asked Caitlin, staring at Barry's comatose body.

"No. I just wish that I did, especially since Delmond could ambush us at any time."

"Yeah. We can try to hold them off, but we can't be sure that he won't win-" Sam was cut off by a dart flying out of the darkness and landing in his neck. Almost instantaneously, Sam dropped to the ground, unconscious. Cisco and Caitlin looked to the source of the dart with horror etched on their faces when two men emerged, one being Delmond. He then blew two more darts and Caitlin and Cisco. However, they didn't drop. Caitlin tried to freeze them but nothing came out of her hands.

"No, no, no, no, no! Please!" Caitlin begged, as Cisco fruitlessly tried to use his powers. Delmond approached Caitlin and the other man approached Cisco. Delmond pulled out a handgun, while the other man pulled out a sword. Delmond put the gun up to Caitlin's head, causing her to raise her arms in surrender. The other man raised the point of his sword to Cisco's throat, with Cisco eliciting the same response as Caitlin.

"Kneel!" Delmond yelled. Caitlin immediately obeyed, fear etched on her face. "Now, you are going to answer all of my questions, or else Cisco gets it. If you don't listen even then, we can go after your poor Barry."

* * *

Barry sat in the black void he had been in for a while now. His wrists and ankles were bound in shackles. Even though he couldn't see, he could hear.

"We can't be sure that he won't win-" Barry heard a slight whistle and then a loud thud. Immediately, Barry knew that something was wrong. He heard footsteps, too heavy for Caitlin and too nimble for Cisco. He heard two more whistles.

"No, no, no, no, no! Please!" Barry heard this and sprang into action. He started pulling against the chains with all of his might. Every sound, the racking of a slide, the unsheathing of a sword, everything gave him even more motivation to free himself from his chains. It was strange, it felt like the chains were pulling back against him. However, even that couldn't stop him. His friends, no, his family was in danger and he couldn't do anything to stop it. Not while he was here, in his mind. After minutes of nothing but struggle, he stopped. Nothing that he did could wake himself up.

"Wait wait wait... so the great Flash is giving up?" A voice came out of the darkness of the void. Barry looked around tiredly, his eyes finally resting on none other than _him_. Eobard Thawne. Reverse Flash. "You have beaten so, so much. Zoom, Savitar, the Thinker, the Doomsday army... _me_. And you're submitting now?"

"There's nothing that I can do. He won."

"Then all that you've done... is it all a joke? Our fights, they were nothing to you? You showed me and everyone else the power that one man can wield, the change that he can bring about! You promised yourself that you would do everything in your power to save as many people as possible! Well... if that's true, then _run_. _Barry **RUN!**_ " **(A/N: I just got chills from my own writing)**

Barry began struggling again with a strength that he didn't have before. Images flashed before his eyes. He saw Eddie's dying in Iris's arms, Ronnie being torn apart by the singularity, Caitlin losing herself to Killer Frost, and much more. How many people have died in his name? How many lives shattered? How many people have died, not for him, but because of him? How many children left alone, screaming in agony, over the loss of their loved ones? And last of all, Barry saw her. His mother. Not speed force Nora, but the real one. sitting in his arms, bleeding out onto the floor. All these people whose lives have been ruined by him. Barry saw all of it and refused to let it happen again. With unparalleled strength, Barry broke free of the bonds.

As much as Barry wanted to spring up and save his friends, he knew he needed to wait for the right moment. Barry shifted his hand ever so slightly so that a single finger was laying on the bed. Berry then began vibrating just enough to see a very blurry picture of the room. To his left and beside the main desk were two blobs. One was on the floor kneeling, the other held what appeared to be a gun. Barry was able to tell that the pair was Caitlin and Delmond. To the other side of the main desk was Cisco with the point of a sword to his throat.

"Alright. If you're not gonna talk then I'll just have to kill your friend." Delmond said, looking to his accomplice and nodding. The other man raised his sword, ready to strike. Before Caitlin could protest, Barry had run. Barry shot up and ran in front of Cisco and grabbed the sword. Barry placed the sword against the man's throat and dashed forward, cutting it open. He then shoved the sword behind him, plunging it into the back of Delmond's accomplice. He pulled it out and ran over to Delmond, who at this point had drawn one of his own. He held the sword in his right hand and the gun in his left.

"Well, would you look at that! You're up. Well, I say we should end this honorably." With that, Delmond lunged at Barry, initiating a fight. Barry was skilled enough with a sword that he didn't need to use his powers. If he was being honest, he didn't want to. Barry parried and dodged every cut, slice, and shot. Eventually, Barry had enough of the fight and wanted answers. Delmond raised his gun once again and Barry jumped at the opportunity and plunged the sword into the opposite side of his elbow on said arm at a perpendicular angle. Delmond screamed out in pain, allowing Barry to use his other hand to throw his sword to the other side of the room. Barry then grabbed the wrist of the hand holding the gun and aimed it at the ceiling.

"TALK! Why are you doing this? You were a good man once!" Barry yelled at Delmond.

"Maybe, but that man is dead now. As for why there are two reasons. One, it's FUN! Two, well, let's just say that this isn't just a hobby." Barry was practically boiling over with rage at this point. This rage was coming from many things, the most of which was from the amount of pain that this man caused to Barry and his loved ones.

"Fine. You don't wanna talk? Then I guess our time is up. Any last words?" Barry hissed. For once, even through all the pain, Delmond showed a mischievous-grin.

"Prepare for unforeseen consequences," Delmond said. Barry lost it, shoving his arm further back until the gun was level with Delmond's head. With the gun upside down and pressed against Delmond's jaw, Barry shot his hand up and squeezed Delmond's hand, causing it to pull the trigger. Delmond's head burst open, spraying blood against the clean, white walls. Barry released his grip on the blade handle and Delmond and kicked him over. The body hit the floor with a loud thud, seeming louder than it actually was due to the significance of what Barry had just done. Barry looked over to see Caitlin and Cisco, who both had faces of horror, Cisco having much less. Barry exhaled sharply through his nose and hung his head, feeling the slightest bit of shame and guilt for what he had just done.

Barry picked up the body and ran it down to the morgue. He then ran back up, got some cleaning supplies from a store, and returned to S.T.A.R. Labs to clean the... everything. When he returned, Cisco was cleaning the walls and Caitlin was gone from the room.

"Where'd Caitlin go?" Barry asked, knowing that her image of him was being tarnished with every life taken. He started cleaning the walls as well.

"As soon as you left she bolted out of here. She's probably headed to her apartment." Cisco said. Barry could barely make out a bit of hesitation in his voice.

"Alright. I'll talk to her about all of this soon."

"Yeah. She looked so shaken and terrified that I didn't know what to do. But listen, you didn't have to kill him. We could have just locked him up." Cisco said, turning away from the fresh blood stains to look at Barry.

"And risk him getting free, only to go on and kill more people? This way, he won't be able to hurt anyone ever again."

"Except for you."

"What?"

"You've changed Barry. And I get that you lost a lot, but that doesn't mean that what you do is right. You are hurting yourself by doing this, Barry. You're making killing easier to do."

"And what's the alternative? Cisco, so many people have died in my name. Others have died because of me. I would give myself a thousand times over for the people that I know and love. For my friends. For my family. For the city." Cisco lowered his head, trying to think of something to say.

"By doing this, you are alienating the people that you are trying to protect. At least make an attempt to not kill people, okay?" After a moment of thought, Barry responded.

"Alright. I'll try."


	10. Beginning Again

**A/N: Hello! Welcome to Resurrection Chapter 10! I can't believe that we are at ten chapters! I'm thinking of another 15, then we'll be done! Also, we recently passed 6000 views, so YAY! Lastly, I would like to get 5 reviews on this chapter, since there was only one on the previous. Anyways, don't forget to follow so you will know when another chapter comes out. See ya! Disclaimer: I do not own DC, CW, or any of its shows and characters. I do, however, own the plot of Resurrection.**

* * *

When Barry arrived at Caitlin's apartment, a sense of overwhelming dread encroached upon him. Caitlin's face when he had killed Delmond was one of pure terror, even more so than when he first killed his killer. Maybe it was because this time the killed was five feet in front of her. Maybe it was because she felt like she was lied to, based on Barry's promise the night that he killed his killer.

Whatever it was, Barry didn't know what to expect from Caitlin when he walked in. Would she run from him in fear? Would she shout at him and force him to leave? Would she avoid him at all costs? The only way to know was to go in and find out.

Barry, heart beating at the thought of losing another person, and a friend at that, knocked on the door. Barry's trained hearing heard shuffling from before the knock. As soon as he knocked, it stopped. After a minute, nothing had happened.

"Caitlin? It- it's Barry. I want to talk." Barry said sheepishly. No response. "Cait, please let me in." Nothing. Barry sighed and continued. "I'm coming in, okay?" Still, no response. However, since he knew that she could hear him, he took it as a good sign that she didn't shout at him to leave. Barry phased through the door and stepped in.

Barry walked into the apartment. When he walked in he found Caitlin sitting on the couch. She was wrapped tightly in a blanket, staring off into space. Her eyes were wide and lips slightly parted, showing obvious fear. She was openly avoiding his glare. Her legs were tucked in close to her, the blanket covering them too. Barry walked over and sat next to her, opting to let her speak first. To his surprise, she didn't move. In fact, she didn't seem to acknowledge him at all. Barry hunched over in his seat, looking down at the floor. After a painful silence, Caitlin spoke.

"Why?" She asked, voice quiet and frail. Barry looked back up at her and saw what he was expecting. Now that he was closer, he could see that her eyes were red and puffy. That combined with the sound of her voice proved that she had been crying. Barry didn't respond. "Why?" She asked again, voice sounding no better. Barry sat up and thought for a moment.

Why? That was a question that, honestly, he couldn't answer. He knew that there was another way. He can read situations better than anyone in a room, so he knew that he could have properly contained Delmond. Even then, he decided against it. What was going on with him? Was he craving the kill? No, that couldn't be it. Could it? He had never had apprehension about killing after the first few years of his work.

He had never had apprehension about killing after the first few years of his work. He always killed. He told himself that it was to ensure that they couldn't escape wherever they were being contained. But was that really it?

"I don't know." Barry finally said. "I knew that there was a way to properly contain him. Even so, I still went for the kill. And I have no idea why."

"Well then figure it out!" Caitlin attempted to shout, voice breaking halfway through. She continued on, voice wavering. "These are people's lives we are talking about here! Lives that you are ending! I didn't like the guy, but that doesn't mean that I wanted him to die! So tell me! Tell me, dammit, why did you kill him?!"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Barry shouted, causing Caitlin to jump back in fear. She knew that he would never hurt her, but she was scared nonetheless. Barry softened his voice and continued. "Sorry. I just..." Barry knew why he just refused to acknowledge it. After another silence, he continued. "In all my years working with the Speed Force, I never felt guilty for killing. I always did what I was trained to do. Use lethal force to ensure that the enemy couldn't escape and cause more harm. But ever since I got back, two things have happened. One is that I have begun to feel guilt. However, that could easily be that I feel guilty for causing pain to my friends and family due to me killing. The other is that I don't seem to be wanting to stop killing. I tell myself that I need to, that I can find other ways, but it's like something is stopping me from not killing. Caitlin, what if I'm starting to like it?" Barry finished, looking at Caitlin with pained and fearful eyes. She had moved back to where she was sitting and looked at Barry.

It took a moment for all that he said to register in her head. Eventually, she realized what he had asked. She took a moment and summoned the courage to look at him. Her eyes met his as she began to speak.

"You went through hell, Barry. I'd be surprised if you came out unscathed. However, you've been back for over two months. You are no longer in the speed force, Barry. You're home. And you can't bring the morals from the speed force here. They don't apply here. And as for you liking it, stop. Don't kill anymore, because now it's alienating your team." She paused for a moment, then continued. "Please, for your sake and mine, stop the killing," She pleaded. Barry relaxed slightly seeing that she didn't push him away at the notion. Barry closed his eyes and nodded.

"I think I can... with your help." Barry smiled, pulling her into a hug. After a moment, they separated.

"I think I have an idea that might help."

"What?"

"I think it's time you revealed yourself to the world as the Flash." Barry flashed a confused look, driving Caitlin to continue. "The Flash isn't someone that kills. I think that if you take on that persona again, it might help you want to not kill. You know, to uphold his reputation. Also, no one has seen the Flash since the night you killed your killer, and most believe that someone was just using your costume. So, why not do a reveal, like Oliver did when he became the Green Arrow?" Barry thought about it for a moment, then responded.

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea. We'll do it tomorrow. See ya!" Barry smiled and ran off to his room in S.T.A.R. Labs.

* * *

Barry was awoken by sunlight flowing through the window. He ran through the events of the other night in his head. The bonds in the void. Breaking free. Killing the henchman. Fighting Delmond. Killing Delmond. Talking with Caitlin. Out of all of it, however, one thing stuck out. Delmond's last words. "Prepare for unforeseen consequences." What did he mean by that? What were the consequences? Why were there consequences? Who would bring them about? For what felt like an eternity, Barry sat there and thought about the phrase.

Eventually, Barry heard a knock on the door. He turned his head and saw Caitlin standing in the doorway.

"Hey! Cisco, Harry, and Wally are all here, and Sam is up. Wanna make that reveal video?" She said, smiling.

"Yeah, sure. Give me a moment to get dressed." Barry said. Caitlin nodded her head and walked off. Barry decided not to use his speed to get ready, opting to take it slow and think. He shifted out of the covers and prepared for the day.

Barry walked into the cortex found the rest of the team talking.

"Hey, Barry! Nice to see you finally up!" Sam said, walking over and hugging Barry quickly.

"Nice to be up. Any plans on how we're gonna do this?" Barry asked, addressing the team.

"We have it all set up, although I think it would be better if we had someone really good with computers here to ensure the effectiveness of the broadcast," Cisco said. After a moment, Barry spoke up.

"I have an idea. I'll be right back."

* * *

Oliver woke up like normal. He gave Felicity a quick kiss on the cheek, before hopping out of bed and putting on some clothes to make breakfast. After about half an hour, Felicity walked out in pajamas and slippers. He smiled and handed her a plate of eggs, bacon, sausage, and a piece of toast. They both sat down and ate, talking about plans and ideas on how to deal with the large amount of weapons flowing into the city. About halfway through their breakfast, Felicity disappeared out of nowhere and was replaced by a note left next to her plate.

 _Sorry, have to borrow her for a little while. I'll make sure nothing happens to her. Thanks!_

 _-B_

 _PS: Turn to channel 7, I'll have something up there in a few._

"Dammit, Barry."

* * *

Barry arrived back at the cortex with Felicity in his arms. He put her down, receiving stunned faces from his team. Felicity stumbled for a second before realizing where she was and attempted to make herself smaller, blood shooting up into her cheeks faster than Barry's speed.

"BARRY! What did you do?!" Caitlin screamed, rushing to get proper clothes for Felicity.

"Why did you bring me here?" Felicity asked, eyes wide with embarrassment because of her current attire. She readily accepted the clothes that Caitlin gave her.

"I need your help with something. Change and we'll start." Barry said. Felicity nodded and began to walk out of the room.

"Wait. Here. We would like to get started as soon as possible," Sam said. Felicity stopped in her tracks and turned to Sam.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"My name is Samandriel. You can call me Sam." He responded. He placed his hands on her shoulders and moved her to a corner. He turned his back to her and extended his wings, fully blocking her from everyone's view. "Go on. No one can see you."

Felicity hesitated for a moment before changing into the S.T.A.R. Labs sweatpants and shirt. She tapped him on the shoulder when she was done.

"Done?" He asked.

"Yeah." Sam retracted his wings and walked off to join the rest of the team.

"So, what's so important as to interrupt my breakfast with Oliver?"

"We've decided that we want to reveal the Flash to the city once again, and we want to do it like Oliver did when he became the Green Arrow. We have it mostly ready, but we need your help to ensure its range, strength, and that it isn't stopped until we cut it off." Barry quickly explained. Felicity nodded in recognition of the broadcast that they were referencing.

"Alright. Where is the equipment?" Felicity asked. Barry grabbed the camera, set it up, and hooked it up to the computers. Felicity scurried around to the main desk and sat down. She began typing and worked for a moment before looking to the rest of the team.

"Where do you want the stream to be broadcast?" Felicity asked.

"On everything, and extend it to channel 7, so some people in Star City get it," Barry responded. Felicity nodded and completed what he asked for.

"Alright! It's ready!" Felicity said, handing Barry a button. "Press this when you are done with the message." Barry took it and sped into his Flash suit. He then stood in front of the camera and nodded to Felicity to begin the stream. Barry looked directly into the camera and began vibrating his face.

"Hello, people of Central City and Star City. About two years ago, I was killed. The hands of death grabbed hold of me and refused to let go. Luckily, I escaped. I got free and I managed to return here. I returned a little over two months ago, and have been in hiding ever since. Now, however, I am ready. I will also be working with another speedster, who is called, "The Wraith." You will know him by this mask." Barry held up the mask he wore from the speed force. "I am also working with a man known as "Pheonix." You can pick him out by his flaming wings." After a pause of about 5 seconds, Barry continued. "It has been a long journey, but I'm glad that I am finally home. Flash out." Barry pressed the button that Felicity gave him and the stream stopped.

"It worked!" Felicity exclaimed.

"That was a good speech, Allen. I'm proud." Harry said.

"Thanks."

"Alright," Felicity began, "Can I go home now?"

"Of course." Barry smiled and ran Felicity back to her house. Felicity stopped right behind the chair that she was taken from, her pajamas in front of her. Oliver was glaring at her with a raised eyebrow.

"I assume that was you?"

"Correct! Oh, and Barry says thanks."

* * *

"So, now that the Flash has been revealed, when will Barry Allen?" Harry asked.

"I don't know. I will have to wait some time before I do reveal myself, just to make sure that people don't get suspicious about the timing of my return corresponding with the Flash's." Barry responded.

"How long do you plan on waiting?" Caitlin asked.

"Maybe another month? I'll probably do it by walking into the police station, and I'd like to have Joe with me when I do."

"What are you going to do until then?" Cisco asked.

"Probably just resume normal duties-" Barry's sentence was interrupted by the sounding of klaxons. Caitlin took her place in front of the computer running vitals, while Cisco sat in front of the other computer.

"Meta-human alert. Looks like there is someone who is standing in the middle of the street. Cars seemed to pass through him." Cisco relayed the information to Barry and Sam.

"Ready?" Barry asked Sam.

"Always."

* * *

Barry arrived at the scene and observed his surroundings. People were backed away from the man, and traffic was refusing to move. After a few seconds, Sam stepped through a portal.

"What do you think this is?" Sam asked, looking to Barry. Sam was dressed in his speed force gear, wings extended and flaming along with the rest of his body, while Barry was in his Flash suit.

"I'm not sure," Barry responded. The man was unmoving. They both inched their way towards the man.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" Barry asked. The man, who was previously staring off into space, turned to look at Barry.

"I'm dying." The man said, face turning to one of fear. Barry was about to respond when the man changed form right in front of his eyes, faster than a blink. That wasn't what stunned Barry, however. What stunned him was what he turned into. Or, more accurately, **who**.

"Help! Help me please!" Nora shouted, staring at Barry. She then fell backward, a stab wound forming on her abdomen. Barry rushed forward, not even thinking.

Behind him, Sam was planning on pulling Barry back. Before he could, he heard a voice behind him.

"Sam? Sam, please help me!" A female voice cried. Sam whipped his head around and saw Peniel. His wife from Jewel. "Please, help me, Sam! I don't know where I am!"

Sam was too stunned to move. Half of him wanted to run to her, hold her and tell her that everything would be alright. The other half of him was screaming at him, telling him that this was wrong, that this was all fake, and that if he didn't move now, people could die. That last thought broke him out of his daze. He pulled together all the strength he had left to turn away. Penny's (Peniel's) pleas grew louder, making it even harder to walk away. Eventually, he managed to ignore them. Sam ran over to Barry who was doing everything he could to help his mother. It was obvious that he had chosen the side of him that Sam overcome. Sam grabbed onto Barry and pulled him back, yelling at him that she wasn't real.

Barry fought back but eventually came to his senses. When he did, Nora stopped crying and disappeared, along with Penny, who Sam had been watching out of the corner of his eye. Both of them just realized that the team was shouting at them from back at S.T.A.R. Labs. After a few seconds passed, a man dropped down in front of them out of nowhere. Both Barry and Sam readied into a fighting position. The man spoke.

"Greetings! My name is Jacob Johnson. You can call me 'Deception'. I must admit, I am surprised that the resurrected Flash actually came to see me! Oh, how did you like that little show that I put on, hmm? It reads the mind of its target and finds the one person that anyone will fall prey to. Anyways, I just wanted to see if you were real. We will be seeing each other again soon. 'Till next time!" Deception then waves his hand around his body, disappearing bit by bit. Barry and Sam look at each other before leaving to discuss the situation with the team.

* * *

 **A/N: There we have it! Again, please review and follow, as it drives me to continue the story. Bye!**


	11. Cause and Effect

**A/N: Welcome to Resurrestion chapter 11! Sorry for the wait, but PSAT was this past week so, yeah. As always, please follow and review. My goal is, once again, 5 reviews. As an incentive, I will start responding to reviews in the later chapters, unless it is about a fix that I made. Enjoy! Disclaimer: I do not own DC, CW, or any of its shows and characters. I do, however, own the plot of Resurrection.**

* * *

Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, the team was awaiting Barry and Sam's return. After a moment, a portal of fire appeared and Barry, along with Sam, stepped out.

"Alright. First thing's first. What have you guys found out about the guy?" Barry asked.

"Well, Jacob Johnson is a 22-year-old nobody. Apparently, he dropped out of high school at 16 to care for his little sister after their mother lost her job. That doesn't sound like a person who would want to challenge the Flash." Caitlin explained, pulling up the information they had found on their perp.

"Also, what was that out there?" Cisco asked, leaning back in his chair. "Your chest cameras weren't working and we couldn't get a good view of the people who appeared." A painful second passed before Barry explained.

"The man that was able to project some kind of illusion. For me, he projected..." Barry closed his eyes, visibly strained. "my mom. For Sam, he projected his wife from Jewel. Peniel. Or Penny. It seems that he wanted to see how we would react to seeing our weaknesses. Obviously, Sam was stronger, so he will probably try to find other ways to make him fail."

"Wow. Well, he didn't seem to want to hurt anybody. Maybe he just wants to get to you." Harry added.

"Maybe," Barry said.

"Oh! I almost forgot to tell you guys! I've been thinking, why don't we get everyone together and have a massive Christmas party! It is the first Christmas since Barry came back." Cisco shouted, excited.

"I guess, sure. Where will we host it though?" Barry asked. "I mean, Joe is still comatose, and even then, if we go through with my idea, it won't nearly have enough room."

"What is your idea?" Wally asked.

"Alright. We get team Arrow, team Flash, team Supergirl, and team Legends, and have the biggest superhero Christmas party in the multiverse!" Barry exclaimed, surprisingly enthusiastic. Cisco slowly grew a large ear-to-ear grin.

"YES! That is amazing! We should start right now! We can host it at the hangar that you own!" Cisco shouted, jumping out of his chair.

"Cool! Alright, Sam and I will start inviting people to the party. You guys should go start setting up. We have one week, everybody!"

"Where are we going to get all the decorations for an entire hangar?!" Caitlin asked, clearly overwhelmed.

"Don't worry, I'll handle that," Cisco responded smugly.

"One question," Sam asked. Everyone turned to look, considering he hadn't spoken during the entire conversation. "What is Christmas?"

* * *

Barry sped into his Wraith gear, just to be safe, and opened a breach to Earth-38. He and Sam stepped in and appeared at the top of a building. Barry walked over to the edge and looked over. Below him was Supergirl surrounded by people all wearing kryptonite armor and using guns with kryptonite bullets. Barry was about to move but Sam held him back.

"Wait," Sam said, watching the scene unfold below him. After a moment, people started shooting. Kara grabbed most of them but some hit her. One right above her heart, one through her side, and one through her right thigh. She immediately fell to the ground.

Barry and Sam moved simultaneously. Barry stopped right beside Kara, and Sam landed on the opposite side, kneeling.

"Get to healing her. I wanna have some fun." Barry said, making his voice sound demonic. Sam nodded and flamed up, surrounding both himself and Kara. Barry drew his knife.

"Run," Barry said, voice still masked. The men looked at each other nervously, before raising their guns at Barry. "Wrong move." Barry dashed forward and stabbed the man in front of him with his blade. He then turned and asked, "Would you like to try again?" The men quickly started running away from Barry. Barry chuckled before grabbing each of them and running them out to a desert. He then ran back and grabbed some rope and tied them together.

"You all hurt my friend. Almost killed her. I'm going to give you the fate you tried to give her." Barry grabbed one of the men, ran him to a safe distance, and returned. Barry focused, channeling all of his energy into his hand. He could feel it getting denser every nanosecond. After a moment, Barry dashed forward. His fist was now as dense as a white dwarf star. He was punching with infinite mass.

His fist collided with the man in front of him, causing an explosion the size of a couple thousand hydrogen bombs. This would have wiped out everything in a couple thousand miles, but the speed force prevented it from doing so. Barry was able to withstand it because of the barrier created by the speed force. The men, however, could not. They were instantly obliterated, only leaving behind a large crater. Barry ran back to the other man and grabbed him by the throat.

"You are going to run back to your superiors and tell them all that happened here. Got it?"

"Y-yes! Please don-" Barry knocked the man unconscious and ran back to Sam.

Sam, meanwhile, was busy trying to save Kara's life. He created a knife and cut away the top part of her suit. Sam shifted, giving himself a better angle to work with. He closed his eyes for a second, before opening them again. His eyes now had a much larger flame. He was able to see inside her body, allowing him to see the severity of the wounds. Both shots to the torso were still inside, and the shot to the leg had passed through. Sam hovered his hand over her heart. He used the energy inside of him to create a flame inside the wound. Sam drew the flame upward, the bullet rising along with it.

The bullet came out of the wound, allowing Sam to fully heal it. He then did the same for the side wound and only healed the leg wound. Barry arrived just as Sam finished up.

"Let's bring her back to her apartment," Barry said. Sam nodded and stepped away from Kara. Barry grabbed her and ran to the apartment.

Barry grabbed a random shirt from her closet and put it on her, before laying her on the couch. Sam arrived a moment later. He hid his wings and walked up to Kara.

"So, now what?" Sam asked

"We wait for her to wake up. Make sure she isn't attacked or has other injuries that you didn't-"

"Hey, Kara I brought-" Alex walked in to find Barry and Sam standing over Kara, Barry still wearing his mask. In a move fast enough to challenge Barry, Alex dropped the bag of food that she was carrying and drew her pistol. "Who the hell are you?! Back away from her!" Alex shouted, training her gun on Sam. Sam, not knowing who she was, flamed up, assuming that she was an enemy. Alex faltered a bit, lowering her gun slightly, just for a second, before raising it once again. Before Sam could say anything, Barry had pulled him back.

"Calm down, Phoenix! She's a friendly!" Barry shouted, finally showing himself while removing his mask. After seeing Barry, Alex lowered her gun. Behind her walked in Winn as well.

"Please, Barry, do _not_ scare me like that," Alex said, reholstering her gun. "Anyways, why are you here? And who are you?"

"This is Sam. He's an ally. We initially came here to invite all of you to our gigantic Christmas party, but we saw Kara surrounded by men wearing suits of kryptonite. I took them down while Sam healed her."

"She was shot in her chest, right above her heart, in her side, and through her leg. I did a quick operation and brought her back here. We gave her a shirt and planned on waiting here until she woke up." Sam added.

"So that's why she is half Supergirl half Kara right now?" Winn asked.

"Yeah," Barry said simply.

Within the next few hours, the four discussed the Christmas party, played games, and talked. After about three hours, Kara woke. Once she started stirring, Barry ran over to her side, with everyone following. She slowly opened her eyes and met Barry's first.

"Hey there. Glad to see you up. How you feeling?"

"Hurting. What happened? Not that I don't welcome you here, but why are you?"

"You were shot by some kryptonite bullets. I took out the men who shot you, and my friend here healed you." Barry nodded towards Sam. Kara slowly shifted her head over to Sam who was to Barry's left.

"Thanks," Kara said, sitting up. Everyone else found a seat. "So, who are you? What can you do?" She asked Sam.

"My real name is Samandriel, but you can call me Sam. I am a Fire Angel from the planet Jewel." Sam said. He stood up and extended his wings, while also igniting them, but not himself. Kara's eyes widened, before clumsily tumbling over the back of the couch and stumbling over to the other side of the room.

"Please, please don't hurt us!" She managed to get out during her stumbling. Everyone raised an eyebrow. Sam extinguished his flames and hid his wings.

"Kara? Whats wrong?" Barry asked, approaching slowly, Sam following behind. "If the Sam in this universe is bad, that doesn't mean that this one is." Barry tried to explain calmly. Kara slowly looked up to Sam.

"Tell me about Jewel." She commanded.

"Alright. Jewel was my home planet. It was in a war when I was a young adult. I hated the war, so I tried to stop it. In doing so, I accidentally destroyed both the enemy forces and Jewel, along with everyone on it. I managed to escape, but now I live with all their deaths on my hands. I use it as motivation to prevent others from going through the same thing."

"You from this universe?"

"No. I'm from Barry's." At this, Kara relaxed. She shakily stood up.

"Alright. Sorry for the freakout, it's just that there were stories of the last Fire Angel on Krypton. From what I understand, he used his loss as an excuse to make others feel what he felt. He basically kills everyone that he sees."

"It's fine," Sam responded. They all walked over to where they were sitting previously.

"You never did tell me why you came," Kara said.

"Well, we decided that because it's the first Christmas since my return, we should throw a massive Christmas party. Everyone in team Flash, Green Arrow, Legends, and Supergirl are invited. For you guys, that means you, Alex, Winn, and J'onn. It's going to be hosted on Christmas Eve." Barry explained.

"Yes, of course, we'll come!" Kara exclaimed. Barry then gave them the exact details of the party. After another few minutes, they prepared to leave.

"Once again, thanks for the save!" Kara said.

"Anytime," Barry responded. Barry nodded to Sam and opened a breach to Earth-1.

* * *

When they stepped out of the breach, they were inside the S.T.A.R. Labs hangar. Everyone was winding down the work for the day. Cisco was the first to notice their arrival.

"Hey, Barry! What took you guys so long?"

"Kara was shot. We had to heal her, watch to make sure that people didn't come to finish the job, and take down the ones that did it." Caitlin visibly tensed up at the mention of "taking down" someone. Barry noticed this and continued. "We managed to knock them out and bring them to their leaders and tell them that we were watching over them. You know, trying to shock them out of doing it again. The most we destroyed was a few of their buildings to make a point. All of them were empty." At this lie, Caitlin relaxed. _Good, she bought it,_ Barry thought.

"Well," Cisco began, "while you guys were off having fun, we were working hard to figure out how to get decorations all the way up to the ceiling. Any ideas?"

"Where are the decorations for up there?" Barry asked.

"Here!" Wally shouted from the other side of the hangar. He pointed to a box beside him. Sam rushed over and grabbed the decorations. He then extended his wings and flew up to the ceiling. Barry then ran up the walls and onto the ceiling. He ran around, stopping by Sam everytime he needed new decorations. After a few seconds, the hangar ceiling was decorated.

"Oh. Why didn't I think of that?" Wally asked.

"Don't know. Anyways, Cisco, can you go tell Legends about the party? I'll tell team Arrow. The rest of you guys can go home." Barry said.

"Alright. See you guys tomorrow!" Cisco said, opening up a breach.

"Bye!" Barry said, running off to Star City.

* * *

The day before the party was here. The team, consisting of Barry, Sam, Caitlin, Cisco, Wally, Jesse, Harry, and Iris, were all at S.T.A.R. Labs working on a lead for the meta-human that called himself Deception. So far, they knew nothing but his name, which he gave freely. After a day of putting everyone's heads together, they were all ready for sleep. As people started filing out of the room, only Cisco, Caitlin, and Barry were left.

"Hey," Barry began, "I still have a few things that I need to get ready for the party tomorrow. I'm gonna head out." Barry then began walking out of the room.

"Alright man. See you tomorrow!" Cisco said. He and Caitlin then worked in silence for another ten minutes. After that, Caitlin spoke up.

"Cisco?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you think about Barry?"

"What do you mean?"

"Earlier this week, when he came back from Kara's earth, he said that he took some guys down."

"Yeah. He also said that he didn't even kill them, just destroyed some of their stuff."

"But what if he did kill them? And he was just telling us a lie because he knew how we would react?"

"Why though? What reason would he have for lying to us about killing?" There was a brief silence where Caitlin debated telling Cisco about what Barry had asked during their talk.

"After Delmond died, Barry came over to my apartment to talk to me about killing. While we were talking, he said that he may be starting to like killing. What if he killed them because he knew that we wouldn't reprimand him for it if we didn't know about it? And then lied when he got back here?"

"So you're saying that Barry is lying to us so that he can kill whenever he wants to?"

"In a way, yeah," Caitlin said, shrugging her shoulders. Cisco took a moment and thought about his response, before continuing.

"What made you think about this? What caused this train of thought?"

"When he was telling us what happened, it felt like he was telling the truth. However, it felt as if he had rehearsed those lines, predicting that he would have to explain what took him so long."

"Or he could have just been telling the truth."

"Correct. I'm just worried that what I said could be true. What would you do if you he did happen to kill those people?"

"I don't know. Honestly, I don't want to know."

"Me neither."

* * *

It was the night of the party. None of the Legends arrived, due to some kind of emergency in the timeline ( **A/N: More like I don't watch the show so I don't know what to write** ). Everyone else, however, did.

The party started at 8:00. The last person to arrive, J'onn, was only 15 minutes late, and that was because of multiverse troubles. The entire hangar was full of stuff. There was a large Christmas tree in the center of the building. Surrounding it were multiple sofas and chairs, enough to fit everyone who was there. Underneath it was a massive amount of presents. Throughout the rest of the room, one could find a bar, a gaming studio, a large dining table, and a buffet.

Everyone was having a wondrous time. After about 3 hours, everyone gathered around the dining table. Barry sat at the head of the table, and the others sat wherever they wanted. After a moment of talking. Barry stood and called for silence.

"I never thought that I would see this day. The day when, after all that I've been through, after all that you've been through, that we would all be sitting here, together. When I died, and the speed force told me that I had a chance to live, I was ecstatic.

But then they gave me the rules. The first was that I would have to work for them 40 years. I immediately thought that I would die permanently before I could get back. And yes, while I did die a few times early in my training, I was always brought back. Then they told me that I would have to cut off all connections to my old life. I would have to forget about old relationships, friendships, alliances, anything that could prevent me from reaching my goal.

I knew that I would never be able to forget all of that, but that was before 40 years had passed. Over that time, I had done just what they had said. Cut off everything. The only friend I had was Sam. And honestly, he was more like a brother." Barry gestured to Sam. "You still are. But, I digress.

In the few months that I have been back, I feel like I am finally rebuilding those bridges that I lost. And that alone makes me happier than anything. So," Barry raised his glass, the rest of them following suit. "I raise a toast to a few things. To friendship, to rebuilding bridges, but most importantly, I raise a toast to returning home. After everything that's happened, I can definitively say that all of you will always bring me home. To returning home!" Barry shouted. Everyone else did the same. "Now. Let's eat!"

Barry sat back down and began to eat. Before he did, Cisco, who was sitting to his left, spoke to Barry.

"That was an awesome speech! Did you plan that?"

"Nope. I just said what I felt needed to be said." Cisco's jaw dropped.

"Seriously?" Caitlin asked, who was to his right.

"Yup."

"You have to teach me how to do that," Cisco said.

The rest of the party went on as usual. Ten minutes before midnight, everyone gathered around the Christmas tree. They talked a bit until Barry announced that it was officially Christmas. Then began the exchanging of gifts.

People exchanged gifts one at a time, just so everyone could see what everyone got. Barry wanted to give his last. When it was Cisco's turn, he gave Barry a box about the size of a book. Barry opened the box to find a strange metal device inside. Barry held it up as Cisco explained.

"Remember back when I said that I could make a speed force battery for you? Well, there it is. Wear it when you're sleeping, and it will slowly drain you of your energy, but it will be slower than you regenerate, you won't really be losing energy. That way, if you or someone else needs a speed boost, then you can have it."

"This is awesome Cisco! Thanks!"

After the rest of them, Barry stood to get his gift. Instead of walking over to the tree, however, he walked away from it a few meters.

"Where are you going?" Cisco asked.

"Give me a moment." Barry then opened a breach and stepped inside. About 30 seconds later, another opened and Barry, along with two other people, stepped out. One was a woman. She looked to be in her mid twenty's. She had tattoos all over her, and all of them looked like the runes that Sam could make. She had long, black hair, and pale skin, with a small frame. The other was a man. He was slightly older than the woman and looked slightly uncomfortable as if he was out of place in his own body.

"Everyone, these are some of my old co-workers. Adisa and Jiason. Adisa is a sorceress and Jiason is a shapeshifter. However, Jiason can also replicate the consciousness of the person he turns into, so he is amazing at spywork. Adisa, Jiason, these are my friends from the matter world. Say hi guys."

"Hello everyone! It's good to meet you all." Adisa said to the group.

"Likewise," Cisco mumbled, unable to take his eyes off of Adisa.

"My present is to all of you. Adisa is skilled at making golems, clay creatures that can be made to look like anybody. She can also take someone's mind and copy it into the thing. Jiason, much like Everyman could, has the ability to shapeshift into anyone that he touches, along with anyone that person knows. He can then replicate their mind and the minds of anyone that the touched knows.

Together, they can create temporary clones of people. They said that they will make golems for each of you and make it into anyone that you want. If you want a day off, give them a call and they will make one of you. Want to have some closure with a dead loved one, they can create them as well. Golems take lots of energy to work, so because they are still warriors, they can only make golems for you that will last for 24 hours."

"Wait, so anyone that we knew personally, we can talk to again? Even if they're dead?"Caitlin asked.

"Yes. And it will be their mind right up until the point of death, so you can fill them in on what happened or not. They also know that they are golems, so you don't have to worry about them having an existential crisis." Adisa explained.

"Here are their cards." Barry walked up to the group and began handing them out. "Whenever you want to spend a day with your golem, give them a call and they'll come over an make it."

"This is amazing!" Kara exclaimed.

"Seriously dude, thank you!" Cisco said. Many others expressed their thanks in many different ways.

The party ended shortly after. People started filing away, going back home via speedster, multidimensional gateway, or just old-fashioned flying. After everyone had left, Cisco, Caitlin, Sam, and Barry remained. They all went back to S.T.A.R. Labs.

Sam immediately went to bed. The others went to the cortex. When they arrived, they were greeted with an alarming message. Written is what seemed to be blood was the message "Your consequences have come," which was written all across the wall opposite the entering doorway. Barry, however, couldn't care less about the message. What he was focused on was the symbol right on the case with his suit in it. The symbol was a large circle with many lines jetting out from it, much like a child's drawing of the sun. Below were three long, parallel lines that were verticle to the sun shape. Barry walked out in front of them.

"What... what is this?" Caitlin asked.

"This. This is the work of him." Barry answered.

"Him, who?" Cisco asked. Barry turned to face Caitlin and Cisco.

"The Rising Star."

* * *

 **A/N: There you have it! I hope you all enjoyed. Bye!**


	12. A Challenger Appears!

**A/N: Welp. That happened.**

 **That was completely unintentional. I did not intend on it taking this long to update. To those who are tempted to stop following this story because of the update times, I will be updating every two weeks on Saturday, and that is final. If something comes up that stops me from meeting this deadline, I will put out a chapter saying this and when to expect another chapter. Anyways, as promised, here are review responses!**

 **FanHubClub - Thank you! I think it would be more like episodes if I updated regularly...**

 **Alaskanbirdfriend - Yeah, if you can't tell, I like drama.**

 **Guest - Thanks for the notice! It was fixed as soon as I saw it.**

 **Brian Hughes - Well, here you go!**

 **Hope you like it! Disclaimer: I do not own DC, CW, or any of its shows and characters. I do own the plot of Resurrection.**

* * *

"Who's 'The Rising Star'?" Cisco asked.

"He's a myth." Barry started. "A legend. He's the boogeyman of the speed force enforcers. There are stories of a man, more powerful than any army. He is known by many names. The Evening Sun, Child of the Fallen, King of the Air. But he is most well known by 'The Rising Star.' Legend has it that he is a necromancer. He has used other's weaknesses against them. No army could ever stop him. After all, how do you win a war against someone who controls the dead?

Supposedly, he uses deception to gain the trust of people before using his power to betray them and take power over entire planets. He hasn't been seen in thousands of millennia. Either someone wants to spook me, or he is real, and coming for me. That symbol is his, the one of the star. It represents a star rising above everything."

"Why would he be coming after you?" Caitlin asked.

"I don't know. Cait, can you check the blood? See who's it is. It might give us a clue as to where to find him." Barry responded. Caitlin nodded and moved to collect a sample.

"What do you mean by deception? How does he deceive?" Cisco asked.

"From what I remember, he will target a certain person and use their weakness against them. Sometimes he will even turn his target's allies against them."

"Great."

"Yeah," Barry said. "Come here." He then pulled Cisco into an adjacent lab, opposite the one that Caitlin was in. "If he does try to turn people, he will go after Caitlin first."

"Seriously? Just because she's against you killing, doesn't mean that she'll join this guy."

"I'm not saying that she will. I'm just saying that you need to protect her. If he does go after her, you need to be the one to pull her from his grasp."

"She won't abandon us. She won't abandon you. None of us will. We're here for you, alright?" Cisco laid a hand on Barry's shoulder.

"Yeah," Barry said. They walked out of the lab and back into the cortex. As they did, Caitlin walked out of the other lab.

"Barry? You might want to see this."

"What is it?" Barry and Cisco followed Caitlin back into the lab.

"I analyzed the blood and compared the DNA with multiple databases. after a few minutes, I found a match. Look." Caitlin then pulled up the results of the test. A name appeared on the screen. A name that sent Barry stumbling backward. Nora Allen. The blood was her's. The Rising Star was sending a clear message. _I know who you are, and I know how to break you_.

"So he knows who you are? How?" Cisco asked Barry.

"I don't know. Maybe he found information somewhere in the Speed Force. Maybe he found out on his own. Either way, he is coming after me."

"Well," Caitlin began, leaning against the table, "what should we-"

"Hey, guys, what's..." Sam walked in, voice trailing off as he saw the words in blood in front of him. His wings involuntarily sprung out, flaming up from an unforeseen rage. Sam grit his teeth and snarled, the flames in his eyes growing ever bigger, ever brighter. "What the hell is this?" Sam asked, almost whispering.

"It's him. Not some fake. It's really him. And he's coming after me. But, for now, you need to calm down." Barry said, inching his way toward Sam, with Cisco and Caitlin following close behind. Sam slowly started to calm, eventually losing the great flames altogether. The wings were still out, however.

"How do you know?" Sam asked, relaxing.

"The blood used is my mother's. A fake wouldn't even go that far." Barry explained.

"Hey, I get that he's not good, but what's with the violent reaction?" Cisco asked Sam. He opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out.

"There are rumors." Barry began to explain. "Rumors that Rising Star is the one that incited the war on Jewel."

"Oh. Is there any evidence?"

"No, but you can understand that even the notion of finding the one that caused all of your heartaches can incite many different things."

"True."

"Alright, listen. We will need some rest if we ever plan on making any progress in this case. We should all head home." Barry suggested.

"Yeah. Alright, see you guys tomorrow!" Cisco shouted as he walked out.

"I'll head out too. Stay safe guys." Caitlin said before following Cisco. Barry and Sam looked at each other and nodded, leaving to go to their rooms.

* * *

Barry stood in the center of a field. He looked around for a moment, attempting to gain his barrings. It was daytime, around noon, he estimated. The field was green and seemed to go on forever. The sky was blue and had not a single cloud. The air smelled sweet, as if the rivers he saw running occasionally through the pasture was, instead of flowing with water, flowing with milk and honey. Plants and trees scattered the land, producing large and beautiful fruits. Directly behind Barry was a throne, and around it was pictures of memories with his mom, with team flash, with Iris. He attempted to approach the throne but couldn't move.

After another moment, he turned to see that the day had suddenly turned to night. He looked around again, startled. The pasture was still green but had lots of patches with a dry brown, as if was starting to die. Soon, his eyes rested upon a star. It shone brighter than all the other stars.

The longer he stared at it, the brighter it seemed to grow. Eventually, it had the brightness to challenge the sun. As soon as it stopped growing, a deafening screech shot through the air, like nails being dragged down a chalkboard. Barry covered his ears and gritted his teeth at the sound. It lasted for about a minute, before ending abruptly. Barry looked back up to find that the star was starting to pulsate.

As soon as Barry saw this, he heard a thud from behind him. Barry turned and saw the throne and objects lying around it to start flying towards the star, along with the rest of the trees and grass around him. Barry felt an immense urge to protect all of those objects with his life. He tried to run and get them back, but he couldn't. He could walk and run at a normal pace, but his speed was gone. Barry had to watch helplessly as the star swallowed up everything that he held dear. The photos and memories were destroyed, but the throne remained.

The star morphed into the shape of a man. The man then took his place on the throne. It shot out a hand to Barry and made him fly forward. He stopped right in front of the star. The star clutched its fist and Barry felt insane pain. Slowly, but surely, every single bone in his body was broken, just like the first time he died. Then, as Barry was still barely alive, The man placed both of his hands on Barry's head. After a moment, he crushed Barry's head.

Then Barry woke up.

* * *

Barry shot up with a blood-curdling scream. He was breathing heavily as if he were just in the middle of a war. Eventually, he calmed down enough to look around. _It was just a dream, it was just a dream,_ Barry repeated to himself. He hadn't had this bad a nightmare since the destruction of that world he couldn't save.

While scanning the room, something caught his eye. Just beside the window was a silhouette. Barry already had curtains, so his first thought was that they were simply curtains. However, when some wind blew in from the slightly open window (When did he open that, by the way?) the curtain didn't move. It didn't flutter, sway, nothing. That's when Barry knew that someone was there. Standing in the darkness. Watching him. Before Barry could speak to warn the interloper, it spoke.

"I wondered how long to would take you to notice me." The figure said. Barry straightened up and moved to get out of bed before feeling a cold metal resting across his throat.

"You know I can just phase through this, right?"

"Yeah, but then all of your friends will get it too. All I ask of you is your time."

"Maybe you should tell me who you are first."

"Gladly." The figure responded with a barely visible smirk. He stepped forward into the light from the city outside. He was white, looked to be in his late twenties. He was tall, but not towering. He was thin but had some muscle to him. He was wearing a white suit and tie. "Nice to finally meet you, Wraith."

"Once again, who are you?"

"Oh, please. It should be painfully obvious by now." The man said. It took another moment before it clicked.

"Rising Star?"

"Oh, please don't call me that. It's too... formal. Everyone else should call me that, but when we're talking, you can call me Riser. No, it's not my actual name, but it's better than addressing me with such a tediously long name."

"Okay fine, Riser. What are you doing here?" Barry asked, definitely on edge.

"I just came here to give you a heads up. I am going to win. No matter what you do, you can't defeat me. You know why? Because of your killing obsession, you simply continue on increasing my numbers."

"That doesn't matter. I will stop you. What do you want, anyway?"

"Oh, my goal is noble. 'I only want to stop you from killing.' At least, that's what I'm going to feed to your companions. In truth, I just want all to bow before me. And to do that, I need you out of the way."

"They will never bow to you. No matter what lies you spew at them, you will never make them work with you." Barry spat.

"Oh, just you wait. I will take them. And when I do, You won't be able to stop me. After all, they don't call me the King of Lies for nothing." Riser said. At that, his silhouette disappeared, and the metal pressed against Barry's throat left. He breathed out a sigh of relief before running around the city to make sure that everyone was okay. Everyone was still sleeping, so they didn't even know that they were all at a sword's edge. Barry returned to S.T.A.R. Labs to find Sam standing in the cortex.

"What are you doing up?" Barry asked.

"I heard you scream. I sat up, about to find you, when someone put a blade to my throat. They said they worked with him." Sam turned to face Barry. "I take it he had some words with you?"

"Yeah. Basically taunting me and the team. He wants power, and intends on corrupting the team to get it."

"Fun. Don't worry, we won't break."

"I know. Still, tomorrow we should address the team. Make sure that their intentions lie with us, not him. He said that his true intentions were power, but that he would feed some false narrative about getting me to stop killing to the rest of the team to turn them against me."

"Do you they would buy it?"

"I don't know. With the way Cisco and Caitlin have been acting lately, I'm not sure."

"Well, there's nothing we can do now. Go to everyone's houses and leave them a note saying to get to S.T.A.R. Labs first thing. That includes Harry and Jesse from Earth-2."

"Alright. Head back to bed. It's only 2 o'clock, so we can get some more rest. After all, we have some work to do in the morning."

* * *

It was 7:30 now. Nearly everyone was standing in the cortex, it seeming smaller now because of the number of people inside it. There was Harry, Jesse, Iris, Cisco, Caitlin, Wally, Sam, and Barry. The team was forming a sort-of half circle against the side behind the main desk, with Barry standing in front of the glass case holding his suit. Everyone but Sam, Cisco, and Caitlin was slightly annoyed that they were summoned this early, along with it being Christmas morning.

"Thank you all for coming so quickly. Except for the ones who came to returned to S.T.A.R. last night, I need to explain the issue so you all understand." Barry then went on to explain everything that happened. From the blood writing that was now cleaned off the wall to who the Rising Star is and from having everyone held hostage to Riser's threats. He didn't actually mention the name Riser, preferring to keep it a secret.

Barry finished up his discussion by talking about Riser's true and false motives. Everyone reacted differently to the false motive. Caitlin tensed up, Cisco furrowed his brow, Wally and Jesse nodded, and Iris raised an eyebrow.

"So," Caitlin began, voice stretched out and tensed, "he wants to turn us on you by convincing us that he is only trying to help you? Is that it?"

"Yes," Barry responded. "I understand that I need to stop killing, and I haven't killed since Delmond. Whatever he says to you all, don't give in." Caitlin simply nodded. "Alright, well you all can be on your way. Ideally, we will have some more time before he returns."

* * *

Caitlin was in S.T.A.R. Labs late that night. She was furiously typing away at the keyboard. Barry and Sam were out so she didn't have to worry about anyone catching her. For an hour she was searching for something. She didn't know what that something was. Ever since that discussion that morning, She was curious. And frightened. Regardless, there she was. Looking for a way to contact him. To contact the Rising Star. Half of her was screaming to turn away, to not follow this path, and the other was telling her to look, to learn, to find out what he really wants, and maybe even threaten him into it.

The latter won.

After another 15 minutes or so, Caitlin heard a sound behind her. She jumped up and spun around to find a tall man about 10 feet from her. Before she could respond, he spoke.

"You were looking for me?" The man asked. Caitlin instantly knew who it was.

"How did you know I was looking?"

"I have eyes and ears everywhere. Either way, why are you seeking me out?"

"I wanted to get information for myself."

"Oh? I must say, that's very brave of you to contact me."

"Stop trying to flatter me." Caitlin straightened her stance. "Barry said that you intend to lie to us, to turn out backs on him. I want the truth. What do you really want? Oh, and I am willing to hurt you for it."

"I understand that. All I want is to bring back peace to this world. With him killing, he is just adding to the chaos."

"Cut the shit, Star. Tell me the truth."

"That is the truth. Listen, I understand that what he went through isn't easy. However, that doesn't make it right to end people's lives. I'm sure that you share the same sentiment too." At this, Caitlin faltered a bit. She knew that he was trying to turn her, but he sounded so sincere.

"How do I know that you're telling the truth?"

"You don't." Something beeped on the Rising Star's body. "Listen, I have to leave. All I ask of you is to pay attention to Barry. I promise you, you will catch something eventually. I'll be in touch." With that, he left. Caitlin slumped down into the chair that she was previously sitting in and sighed.


	13. Call to Action

**A/N: Hey! Made it on time this week! Nice. First off, review responses.**

 **alaskanbirdfriend - Thanks, and good eye! My intention was for his names (others given at the beginning of chapter 12) to be similar to Lucifer, like Child of the Fallen.**

Flashy... - **Thank you, so much for the support! One of the main things I struggle with is keeping them in character, which is tough when they have all been changed from Barry's death, especially Barry.**

 **Brian Hughes - You say that as if it doesn't happen every 10 seconds.**

 **Second, view count. As I am writing this, we have a total of 10,591 views. Seriously. Over ten THOUSAND views. How even. I... I just... you know, even though I'm a writer, I can't seem to think of the right words. Seriously, I am amazed at how many views that this story has. Also, we have 60 followers, 47 favorites, and 47 reviews. I am just as amazed at that I never thought that this story would become this big. I mean, relatively. Still, thank you all so much.**

 **Lastly, news about the future. We are nearing the end of this story. maybe a few more chapters.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own DC, CW, or any of its shows and characters. I do however own the plot of Resurrection. Oh, and I also don't own Star Trek (You'll see. I might not need it, but I'm paranoid so...).**

* * *

The next morning, after Caitlin made contact with Riser, Sam, Cisco, and Barry were hanging out in the cortex, talking about plans.

"So," Cisco started, leaning forward in his chair. "any word on our illusionist?"

"Not that I know of. What about Rising Star?" Sam responded, gesturing to Cisco.

"Not since yesterday." Barry cut in. "Well, I guess it's good that we don't have anyone to worry about. Oh! I almost forgot! Joe is supposed to wake up today!"

"That's today? We should contact Wally and Iris, tell them to meet us at the hospital." Cisco offered.

"Yeah. Can you do that? As well as fill Joe in on all that's happened." Barry nodded towards Cisco.

"Sure." Cisco got up and headed to a computer near the display case.

"Hey, Barry. I got word from the overseers that they have a job for us if we want to take it. Turns out that losing us wasn't good for them." Sam said.

"Have they said what the job is?"

"They sent something..." Sam then stood up and faced the entrance of the cortex. He closed his eyes for a moment, before opening them with a blue flame. He stretched out his hand and sent the same blue flame down his arm, coating it.

Once it reached his fingertips, Sam started mumbling something under his breath. As he was, the flame began flowing off of his fingertips and around him. The flames started to form symbols, like an alphabet to an ancient language. Once they had surrounded him entirely, they began spinning.

Sam drew his hand back before shooting it out again. The flames that were swirling around him then moved out in front of him. He finally dropped his arm and extinguished the flames in his eyes.

"Here, I'll translate." Sam took a deep breath and began.

" _Sam and Barry:_

 _Good day. We know that you two are no longer actually working for us. However, if you find you have some time to spare, we would like you to help us out with a mission._

 _We are having some trouble with the antimatter universe. It seems that they are attempting to break free and cause another crisis. We hope that you two can assist us in taming the Anti-Monitor and his rebellion against us._

 _You will be compensated for your efforts. If you do choose to help, please find us in the Watchtower's Edge. See you then._

 _Thank you,  
Overseers."_

"Seriously?" Barry asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow while Sam cleared the letters. "He's actually trying to destroy everything again?"

"Apparently. What do you thi-" Sam turned around to Cisco who was wide-eyed.

"That was... AWESOME! What did you even just do?!" Cisco shouted, amazed at the feat that Sam just pulled off.

"I connected with the Speed Force and it told me a message. It took the flames I offered and wrote it down in my language. Think of it as handing them a pen and paper and asking them to write down what they needed me to hear."

"Cool! Anyways, I don't see why you shouldn't go? I mean, It's pretty quiet here, and we can always just boost Wally with the capsule I made so he can find you guys if we need you." Cisco explained, cooling down all of a sudden. Sam and Barry looked at each other for a moment before nodding.

"Yeah. I think we will go." Barry was about to open a portal to the Speed Force when Cisco stopped him.

"Don't you need to change?" Cisco gestured to Barry and Sam's attire. They both looked down. Barry was wearing a S.T.A.R. Labs sweatshirt and sweatpants, and Sam was wearing a white tee-shirt and jeans.

"We have suits in the Watchtower, and we won't need the special monitoring tech since you won't be able to monitor us anyways," Barry reassured him, adding a small comforting smile at the end. Barry then punched the air to his left, causing a portal to open up.

"Alright. Be careful!" Cisco called, attempting to make his voice cut through the wind circling around the room.

"Never will be!"

* * *

A few hours after Barry and Sam left, Caitlin arrived at S.T.A.R. Labs. Walking from the lobby to the cortex, her head was still swirling from the encounter with Rising Star. A war was raging on in her mind. On one side of the battlefield is her trust in Barry, saying that the notion of 'all that the Rising Star wants is for Barry to stop killing' is a complete ruse, and he really wants to use her. On the other is, to put it best, where the deserters from the other camp go. That side houses the faltering trust in Barry and the notion that the Rising Star is telling the truth. Both sides have solid arguments and reasons to be where they are and why they are fighting for what they are fighting for.

On one hand, Barry has been a friend for almost a decade. On the other, is this man really the Barry she knew? Both Barry and Sam are adamant about the evils of the Rising Star, but they are also both hardened killers, so it would make sense that they would tarnish any threat to their lifestyles...

By the time she reached the cortex, her mind was so muddled with debate and conflict that she didn't even realize that she had been standing in the entrance of the cortex for about 3 minutes. She also didn't hear Cisco, who had been slowly approaching her and was now a few feet from her, shouting at her.

"CAITLIN! ARE YOU OKAY?! IS FROSTY COMING BACK?! GRODD? CAITLIN?" Eventually, she snapped out of it. Once she realized what happened, she wanted to shrink down in embarrassment. She gave a sheepish smile to Cisco.

"Sorry, I spaced out for a minute there."

"A minute? Caitlin, you didn't respond for nearly five! Are you okay? Whats going on?" Cisco's expression softened, morphing from a panicked expression to a concerned one.

"Nothing, I... I'm fine."

"Caitlin, you know you're a really bad liar. Also, someone who has nothing wrong going on doesn't black out, standing up, for five minutes straight. What's going on?"

"Nothing! I said I'm fine!" Caitlin snapped, causing Cisco to reel back a bit. His face quickly flashed a fearful look before returning to a concerned one. Caitlin seemed to notice this and softened her face as well.

"Sorry. You're right, I do have a lot on my mind, but I'd rather not talk about it." Caitlin said, voice soft to compensate for the shouting she just put out.

"It's fine," Cisco said. They both moved further into the lab. Cisco went back to the computer near the display case that he was in when Caitlin entered, while Caitlin went to the med-bay to do some research to clear her head.

After a few minutes, Cisco entered the med-bay. When Caitlin heard the door open, she braced herself, expecting another lecture about her black-out.

"Hey, I'm gonna head out. According to Barry, Joe's supposed to wake up today. You can come too if you want. Iris and Wally will also be there."

"I'll pass. I have some work here that I need to do. When Joe wakes up, make sure to give him my regards." She added a little smile at the end to mask the torture that Barry's name brings about.

"Alright. Call me or Wally if you need anything." Cisco left the room and opened a breach to an alley a block away from the hospital. Once she heard the breach close, she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She was beginning to push the debate to the side, but Barry's name brought back the torture. She gave up on making any progress in her work, saved it, and laid down on the med-bed to think. **(A/N: Ayyyyyyyyy med-bed.)**

* * *

In truth, the entire Watchtower is the Edge. When the Speed Force built it in the beginning of forever, they built it on the edge of the multiverse. At least, the multiverse that they existed on. Imagine two circles drawn on a white-board. One is empty, only an outline, and the other is neither filled nor empty but has an infinite number of small dots in it. This is, in a very simple way, the true multiverse.

The empty circle is the antimatter universe, aka. the antiverse. The other is the multiverse cluster. This multiverse cluster is where everything living is. This cluster is in direct opposition to the antimatter universe. The Speed Force built a barrier around the cluster and placed a citadel on it. This citadel became known as the Watchtower. The Watchtower spans the entirety of the barrier. However, there is one place that can truly be considered the Edge.

There is a city built directly facing the antimatter universe. This city is the first line of defense against attempts to destroy the multiverse by the antiverse. This city is what is known as "The City on the Edge of Forever," **(A/N: Here's what the extra disclaimer was for. I know some of you are shaking your heads at me right now, but... deal. It sounds cool, so I used it.)** but is more commonly called the "Edge."

The Edge is not a lovely place to be. It's filled with militarization and is one of the most fortified places in the entire cluster. The Edge is only spoken about in hushed whispers, everyone wanting to keep it out of their heads. And rightfully so, as it is the closed place to the one thing that has the power to destroy everything. Granted, the Speed Force is so powerful that it would never happen, but it still gives chills. Even some of the most hardened agents of the Speed Force tense up at the thought of even traveling there. Sam and Barry don't have that problem though. They've been so many times, it's almost like a second home to them.

In fact, it felt almost welcoming to return after so much time being spent away. When they stepped through the portal, they were in the main terminal in the capital of the Watchtower. Barry and Sam walked up to one of the terminals. A camera appeared and scanned both of their faces.

"Passphrases," the computer said.

"Nora," Barry said. The computer responded with a positive beep.

"Peniel," Sam said. The computer gave the same beep. Two doors leading into 3 foot wide capsules opened in front of them. Barry stepped into one and Sam into the other. When the doors closed, a screen was revealed on the other side. On the screen was a list of locations. The passphrase was used in combination with the facial recognition to scan for clearance. Because of their experience and rank, Barry and Sam were able to access pretty much every location on the Watchtower. Both of them found the Edge and selected it. A confirmation popped up on the screen and both accepted it.

In an instant, they were both in identical tubes in the Edge. They both stepped out and looked at the city-scape. Artillery was scattered about on roof-tops. In the center of the city was a large dome, much like an observatory. On the top, facing the sky, was a large metal tube. The building was the Center of Defence against the antiverse.

There was a long line of people trying to get into the building. Barry and Sam paid no matter to them and approached the front entrance, skipping the long line. Many protested, and they were both stopped by a guard. He obviously didn't recognize two of the greatest warriors that the Speed Force ever had because of their lazy attire.

"You two need to stop there and leave the city while you can or get in the back like everyone else. The antiverse is attempting another attack." The guard said, obviously nervous.

"We understand that. In fact, that's why we were called here with top priority," Barry responded. The guard still didn't recognize them.

"I need some ID." Barry simply looked at Sam. Sam nodded, looked back at the guard, and sprung his wings and ignited them. The guard stepped back and widened his eyes. The crowd gasped, some tripping over their feet while stumbling back. The guard looked at Barry who was now vibrating.

"This good enough for you?" Barry spoke in his masked voice, the one he always used when he would speak to enemies in his Wraith suit, a voice that everyone in the Speed Force would recognize.

"More than enough sir." The guard saluted them, hitting his chest with his fist before extending his arm into the rest of a Roman salute. "I apologize for not recognizing you two. Head on in."

"Don't sweat it," Sam said as he extinguished his wings and hid them. "It's not like we're dressed as we usually are."

They both walked into the building and found it bustling with people. They managed to navigate through the crowd and made their way to the top floor. After another passphrase check, they entered the floor. In it was a large conference table. Against the back wall was the bottom of the large tube sticking out the top. A few people were sitting around the conference table with the main embodiment of the Speed Force at the head. When Barry and Sam entered, everyone stood and saluted them, and Barry and Sam did the same.

"Barry! Sam! Welcome! We're glad you decided to come help us." The Speed Force said. It had taken the form of a Caucasian man in his late twenties.

"We thank you for asking us for help. Know that you can call on us any other time as well." Barry said.

"Of course. Have a seat." The Speed Force gestured two chairs on the other head of the table. The pair took their seats. "Now, for the reason we are all here.

The Anti-Monitor is attacking us again. From what our spies tell us he is preparing another antimatter cannon. However, we believe that it is merely a diversion. We believe that he is preparing an army of antimatter soldiers. Anything that they touch in this universe will be destroyed, along with themselves. Think of it like suicide bombing the multiverse out of existence.

According to our sources, he has only produced enough to destroy a single star, about 20 times bigger than Earth-1's sun. This is one batch, and the production of the soldiers will get faster as he perfects it.

Barry, Sam. Your jobs are to locate the facility where the army is being produced and shut it down. Once that is done, we will travel to your location and destroy the army with everything we have."

"How do you expect us to survive in the antimatter universe?" Sam asked.

"We have made you both custom suits that can withstand the cancellation of your matter by the antimatter. We have also made signal beacons that can travel between the cluster and the antiverse. One of them is for signaling us that the production is destroyed. The other is an emergency signal. If everything doesn't go according to plan, then press this and we will start the attack anyways, but with an extra goal to get you two out of there."

"Alright. When do we start?" Barry asked.

"Now. Here are your suits." The Speed Force gestured to the right, where a wall opened up into an armory. The group walked in to find weapons and armor everywhere. Against the wall facing the entrance were replicas of the Phoenix and Wraith armor. Both were significantly darker and seemed to feel slightly out of place as if they were photoshopped in by a 5-year-old. "Don't worry, they won't stand out as much in the antiverse. In fact, they will look just how your normal suits look, except for being darkened because this is a stealth job." Sam and Barry both changed into their suits. They fit like they normally would.

"Alright. Send us through." Sam said, turning to the Speed Force.

"Gladly." They all stepped into the main room and towards the tube. Two slots opened up on the front of it. Barry and Sam stepped into the slots. The doors closed and a projection of the outside room hovered in front of their faces. The tubes that they stepped into began to move to the center of the cannon.

"Keep in mind that we will be waiting for the signal. So if you get caught, don't hesitate to contact us if you can't get out of it." The Speed Force said one last time. "Godspeed."

* * *

Caitlin had dozed off on the bed after an hour of thinking. She was eventually awoken by the sounds of chatter emanating from the main room of the Cortex. She hopped off the bed, made herself look presentable, and exited the med-bay.

She entered into the cortex to find all of the West's and Cisco talking and laughing. She stood by the doorframe and watched.

"So this Rising Star guy, is he good? Because I'm getting two different stories here." Joe asked. Cisco opened his mouth to respond but stopped. He squinted his eyes in thought before speaking.

"Barry and Sam say that he's a bad guy, so..."

"Well isn't that enough? Why wouldn't you trust Barry?"

"No, you've got me wrong. I trust Barry, it's just that we think that he's lied to us once or twice, but we aren't sure about it." Cisco reassured. He cast his eyes to the left where he saw Caitlin leaning on the doorframe. "Hey, sleepy-head! How's it going?"

"Good." She looked at Joe and walked over to him, hugging him when she reached him. He quickly reciprocated. "It's good to have you back."

"Yeah," Joe responded, pulling away. "How've you been in the time I've been asleep? From what I hear, a lot's happened."

"Yeah, that's right. We can fill you in on it later." She walked over to stand beside Cisco.

"Dad, I was wondering if you wanted to go to lunch with us? Since we don't know when Barry will be back, we might as well go now." Iris asked Joe.

"Sure! I'd love to." Joe flashed his trademark grin, walking out with Wally and Iris in tow. "Have a good day, you guys!"

"You too!" Cisco shouted. After a few seconds, Cisco chuckled.

"What?" Caitlin asked.

"Nothing, it's just... I'm glad he's back. It's been strange not having him around."

"Yeah," Caitlin responded.

After that, Cisco started thinking about the blackout from that morning again. Caitlin didn't really like to hide anything from the team, especially him. After the Killer Frost incident during Savitar's reign, she always confided in him whenever something was wrong. They were close after all. They had been supporting each other ever since the accelerator explosion. This was the first time in years that she hid something from him. And that scared him.

He knew the struggle that she was having. Although she tried to hide it, Cisco always noticed that she would tense up at the mention of Barry's name, or him going out on a mission. Normally, he would chalk it up to nerves about him dying again. However, because of the issue of Barry killing, he was pretty sure that she was thinking about that a lot.

But why? The only other time she tensed up before Rising Star was when Barry mentioned "dealing with" people. Ever since Rising Star came on the scene she had been on edge.

Suddenly, Cisco remembered what Barry told him. " _If he does try to turn people, he will go after Caitlin first. If he does go after her, you need to be the one to pull her from his grasp."_ What if-

"Hey, Cisco," Caitlin said. Cisco shook his head and looked at her.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry about this morning. I didn't mean to snap at you."

"That's alright." Cisco smiled. "I'm sure you have a lot on your mind."

"That's another thing." Caitlin glanced at the entrance to the Cortex, then back to Cisco. "Come with me." She got up and walked to the med-bay. Cisco stood and followed, confused. When they walked in, Caitlin shut the door behind them.

"What's up?" Cisco asked. Caitlin took a deep breath.

"What I'm about to tell you, you cannot tell Barry." Alarms, siren, bells, whistles, whatever you want to call them, every single one of them sounded at maximum intensity in Cisco's head. He, however, remained calm.

"Okay... what is it." Cisco braced himself for what was coming. Something, whether it be his vibing or human intuition, told him that what she was about to say was not going to be good. Caitlin took another deep breath and continued.

"I... I contacted and spoke to Rising Star."

No. No, no, no, no, NO. Cisco had to calm himself down. She only spoke to him. Granted, she felt comfortable enough with contacting an accused power hungry killer, but she hasn't said that she believes him.

"Why would you do that?" Cisco asked this in the most non-threatening way possible.

"Because I wanted to get information for myself."

"Isn't Barry's word enough?" This is it. What she says next will be confirmation of something. Ideally that she trusts Barry.

"No," Caitlin responded quickly.

"Why not? What's making him untrustworthy?" Cisco asked with a slightly pained expression.

"Rising Star is a huge threat to Barry's habit of killing. It would make sense that he wants to slander Rising Star's name."

"What about Sam? He hates Rising Star!"

"Sam's just as bad! He's a killer just like Barry. Also, we barely know him." Cisco bowed his head and rubbed his neck.

"Well, what did he say?"

"Exactly what Barry said that he would say. That he only wants to stop his killing spree."

"Do you believe him?"

"I don't know."

"Alright, well listen." Cisco walked up to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "How many times have trusting someone new been good? Wells 1.0, bad. Jay/Hunter, bad. Wells 2.0, good. DeVoe, bad. The majority of the new people that we trusted have turned out to be bad. Barry is a good person. Just because he's tainted doesn't mean that he cares more about an obsession with killing than us. You know how much he cares about this team and everyone in it." Caitlin nodded at the end.

He convinced her.

Almost.

* * *

 **A/N: Oof. That happened. Hope yall enjoy! Drama is gonna be skyrocketing in these next few chapters.**


	14. A New Warzone

**A/N: What's up! Let's get started! First, review responses.**

 **alaskanbirdfriend - 0. I like the freakouts. Keep em coming. 1. To be honest, I wrote the plot as I was writing the story. I didn't have one planned other than the idea of a resurrection. Thanks! 2. Yeah, he's my first full-fledged OC, so I'm kinda biased towards him. He's not based on anyone, I thought of someone with wings of fire one day and loved it. Obviously, I didn't keep the actual "made of fire" idea, but still. 3. I remembered the antimatter** **cancellation** **from a documentary on the big bang and how we shouldn't exist because the release of matter and antimatter should have canceled each other out as they should have been equal, but evidently matter had at least one extra particle. 4. Yes. 5. I plan on it!**

 **Brian Hughes - A fellow Trekkie. Noice.**

 **Second, milestones. We have recently reached 50 favorites! Awesome! Also, we have 49 reviews and 64 follows. Thank you, guys!**

 **Third, future news. The end is nigh. Well, kinda. I can't really say much more without revealing too much of a spoiler, so I'mma leave it at that.**

 **Lastly, updates. As I have previously said, I will update every two weeks on Saturday. I am now adding a time. I will post each chapter at 8 AM EST on said dates. If it isn't posted then, it will be by noon EST.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own DC, CW, or any of its shows or characters. I also don't own LOTR. You'll see.**

* * *

As the cannon fired, Sam and Barry's bodies, surrounded by the capsule they were standing in, were shot through the top of the building and into the sky. As they flew upward, the smog in front of them parted, revealing a dark void. As they grew closer to it, the darkness seemed like a hungry wolf, opening its maw wider and wider to swallow its prey. Eventually, they were completely surrounded by the darkness, only being able to see it through the cameras on the outside of the pod. However, that wasn't the end of their journey.

About 10 minutes into the trip, as they were flying through the void, they discussed their mission.

"So," Sam began, "what do you think it will be like?"

"What 'what' will be like?" Barry responded.

"You know what I mean. The antiverse. What do you think it will look like?" Barry thought for a moment.

"I'm not sure. It might look like our suits did in the Edge."

"If that's true then it'll be bloody difficult to sneak around. My depth perception will be all jacked up over there."

"Well, let's hope that it's not. Maybe it'll look normal and our bodies under these suits will look weird."

"Maybe." They sat in silence for another few minutes before another sight astounded them. The black void around them began to dissipate. Except, it didn't seem to reveal anything. In fact, it revealed nothing. Not as in there was just nothing there. It's what you would see if you tried to look out the back of your head or through a wall. There is absolutely nothing that you can see. The darkness faded away to reveal nothing. Eventually, they could only see what was inside their lighted capsules.

"Umm... I think this is it." Barry said hesitantly. The pods stopped suddenly and opened up. Sam and Barry stepped out of their pods.

They saw in front of them a giant city. Nearly every building was completely made of metal with pipes running every which way. There was smoke billowing out of the top of nearly every building. The sky was a deep red, and there were vehicles flying every which way. The air tasted dry and dirty, and the wind was cold, almost bitter. Everything had a burnt scent to it. Sounds of flying vehicles and burning materials filled the air.

It was horrible.

However, for Sam and Barry, this was nothing. They had seen far worse. They looked down at themselves and saw that Barry's prediction was right. Their suits looked normal, but their bodies looked out of place.

Sam grabbed Barry and flew up to the top of a nearby building that didn't have smoke coming out of it. Sam lit the flames in his eyes and looked out to the edges of the world.

"Give me a moment." Sam started scanning the world in front of him. He moved his head side to side, even turning to get as much information as possible.

"What are you doing? We haven't even found a building yet to scan."

"Ever since I was released from the Overseers, I've been getting better. When I was first released, I could only coat from the top of my head to about the center of my torso along with my arms in a blue flame. Now, I can reach down to about halfway down my thighs. I'm much more powerful now than I was then. Just watch."

Sam moved to the center of the roof and sat down. He then engulfed his head in blue flame. He pushed the flame down both of his arms and placed them on the ground beside him, one on each side. Sam closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again to have his eyes explode in a blue flame. A wave rushed down his arms and through his hands. Waves of blue fire moved out around him, causing Barry to jump back and widen his eyes in surprise.

Circles of fire rushed out of his hands, creating a rhythmic pulse of power to rush out onto the roof. The size of the pulsing circle grew until it nearly engulfed the entire roof. The pulsing started to recede, but the flame surrounding Sam grew. Once the roof was all but clear of fire, Sam removed his arms from the floor. The flame around him grew and grew as he crossed his arms over his chest, making fists and creating a sort of X on his chest with his forearms. Not a moment later, Sam thrust his arms out.

He released his fists and threw his arms out to either side. As he did, a wave of fire so powerful it could knock down kings was released from his body and went out throughout the entire planet. The fire that was on Sam dissipated, causing Sam to fall over onto the floor. Barry rushed over to his side.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Barry shouted, not caring if anyone heard him, as the entire planet just saw a wave of flame pass over.

"Hehe." Sam chuckled. "That really took a lot out'a me. If you were wondering..." Sam raised an arm in front of him. His eyes glowed a weak blue, fire barely even leaving them. His hand was also lit with a weak blue flame. The fire slowly moved out of his hand and into the air in front of him. The fire danced in the air before creating a floating globe.

"What's this?"

"That, my old friend, is a global map of the planet that we are currently on. The entire damn thing." Barry stood and gazed in awe. He approached the globe and mimed spinning it. The globe twisted and turned just like any other. Barry tapped on a spot of land. The globe unfolded and became a large flat map that floated in front of them.

"This is amazing!" Barry paused for a moment before sighing. "We have to do a power transfer, don't we?"

"Yeah..." Sam said, hesitantly.

* * *

It had been a week since Barry and Sam left. No one was worried, as any crime issues could be solved by any one of the other resident superheroes, and they knew that, because the Speed Force existed outside of time, they shouldn't expect them back soon. This gave everyone time to think about the issue with Rising Star.

Joe had been completely filled in on the issue and had opinions of his own. Being a cop, he knew the struggles of enforcing the law. He didn't blame Barry for killing, and he certainly didn't believe the idea of Barry wanting to kill.

Caitlin had balanced out. Through peaceful debate with Cisco, she had come to rest in the middle. She no longer felt like her mind was being pulled apart. Granted, she was still on the fence about the whole "cold-blooded killer" notion, but that could wait.

Cisco had also changed in the debates that he had with Caitlin. He found himself pulled to be pretty much where she was: on the fence.

Another thing that came up while debating was the idea of contacting Rising Star again. Caitlin was pretty open to it, while Cisco was very apprehensive. After much deliberation, they decided to talk with him.

Cisco and Caitlin were both in the S.T.A.R. Labs hangar. They were building a device that, supposedly, would be able to send Rising Star a message telepathically. They had contacted Adisa - Barry's coworker from the Speed Force - and asked her to help them. They didn't tell her who they were trying to contact, as they felt like she would refuse if they had. The device was about the size of an old radio and looked a lot like one as well.

They had finished building the machine and were ready to begin.

"So," Cisco began, "you sure you wanna do this?"

"Yes. We need to get answers, and make sure that they aren't being filtered through people we aren't sure about."

"You do realize that he will be more biased than them, right?"

"Yeah, but we might be able to tell if he's lying or not."

"Whatever you say." Cisco flipped the switch and turned the dial. "Let's begin."

* * *

"So, we should go here first to get information," Barry said. After exchanging energy, they decided to look at the map.

The world was pretty small, about half the size of Earth-1. However, without Barry's speed, it would have taken ages to go through it all. However, with it, it only took a few minutes.

"Looks like. From the in-depth scan, it doesn't show much military force, but it does seem to be important."

"Cool," Barry said. Sam closed that map and was about to spring his wings before Barry stopped him.

"Wait! What if the antimatter kills you?"

"Oh yeah, you're right. Maybe the fire will protect them."

"I wouldn't risk it. I'll just run us there."

"Alright." Barry picked up Sam and ran them out to the building specified. From the analysis, the complex seemed to be a science facility, possibly researching the antimatter army.

They arrived at the building in question. It was a large verticle rectangle, standing sky high. It was surrounded by a wire fence with guards posted around the perimeter.

Barry and Sam silently moved into a nearby alleyway and watched. The guards were on a constant alert, keeping their head on a swivel and moving about constantly.

"How do you think we should go about this?" Sam whispered to Barry. Sam was never the stealth expert. Ever since Barry's death and adoption into the Speed Force, he became an expert at stealth and negotiations. Basically, he became the best assassin in the entire multiverse. Sam was more suited for actual battle, as he was trained to be a warrior, not an assassin, on Jewel.

"I'll do the sneaking in. You get to the top of these building and provide support. Be my 'guy at the computer'."

"You got it. Here," Sam put out his hand and revealed a small piece of metal. "It's a comms device." Sam then moved to the back of the alley. He stood and outstretched his hand to the roof of a nearby building. Out from his wrist came a red chain, not flaming, but glowing. It had a pointed tip that lodged itself into the wall right below the roof. Sam twisted his hand to grab the chain and retracted it, pulling himself up to the roof. "Can you hear me?"

"You're loud and clear," Barry responded. "I'll start moving in." Barry moved to the edge of the wall and glanced over the side. There were two guards headed towards the alley. Barry backed up and pushed himself against the wall. He closed his eyes and focused the Speed Force inside of him. He opened his eyes and ran up to a bar that was connecting the two buildings and waited there. The guards walked into the alley.

"So, what was it that you saw?"

"I don't know. It looked like some kind of beam of light." Right as they walked under Barry, he struck. He dropped down and fell onto one of the guards. He aimed his feet at the guard's chest and landed on it. The guard fell back as Barry landed on top of him.

During the fall, Barry had unsheathed his knife. Using the last of the momentum from the fall, Barry put the rest of the energy into pushing the blade into the neck of the guard. Barry's speed combined with his momentum from the fall allowed the knife to go through the guard's neck like a hot knife through butter.

The other guard jumped back in surprise, fumbling for his gun. Barry stood, chuckling while he fumbled. Just as the guard was raising his gun, Barry knocked it out of his hand and pushed the guard against the wall, placing the knife against his throat.

"Phoenix, get down here." Sam then dropped from the roof and approached Barry.

"Yeah?"

"Interrogate this guy. Make sure you learn everything he knows."

"Gladly." Barry backed up and Sam took his place. He forcefully placed his hand on the side of the guard's face, pushing blue flame into his head. The guard opened his mouth to scream, revealing a blue flame that burst forth from his throat. The guard's eyes erupted in flame as well. Before he could actually scream, Barry placed his hand over his mouth. After a moment, Sam removed his hand.

"Alright, I got it all," Sam said. Barry nodded. "Should I?"

"Yeah. We don't wanna risk it." Barry responded. The guard had, at this point, slid down the wall. His breathing was ragged and his jaw was clenched. Sam turned back to the guard and slammed both his hands on the guard's head. Sam's head erupted in blue flame, the energy spreading to his arms and onto the guard's face. The guard opened his mouth to scream, but he couldn't. His head exploded in a glorious display of blue before he could.

"So, what did you learn?"

"Well, they just had a guard change, so there's no point in waiting for that. Other than that, this guard didn't know much other than a few passwords for doors and safes which I will give when you get to them."

"Alright. Head back up. I need to move before others come to investigate."

"Of course. I'll get rid of the bodies." As Barry left, he felt immense heat behind him from the burning of the bodies.

Barry normally would have taken one of their suits, but if he took off his suit he would instantly be obliterated. So, he decided that he would instead go the sneak route.

He sped up to the edge of the fence and moved into a nearby guard tower. After cutting the throat of the guard and hiding the body, he looked over the fence and into the courtyard.

"Anything?" Barry asked through the comms.

"Got 5 guards in the courtyard. Two are on the other side of the building, one is patrolling, and the last two are talking by the doors into the building."

"Alright." Barry looked and saw the three he needed to worry about. The one that was patrolling had walked out of sight of the two by the door. Barry took the opportunity and ran up to him. He plunged the knife into the guard's chest and pushed it up, tearing through the rest of his chest. Barry caught the body and ran it back up to the tower and hid it there. He then ran back down to the side of the building.

He peered over the corner and looked at the two talking. They were both against the wall and looking out.

"Phoenix, how many people are in the lobby of the building? Also, is the door made of glass?"

"Uh, there are some receptionists in the lobby, but no guards. Oh, and the door is metal, so they can't see through it."

"Good." Barry stood and moved to the other side of the wall, just to the left of the guards, and drew his knife. They turned their heads to look. Barry dashed forward holding his blade out. He stopped on the other side of the two. Both of them collapsed, choking on their own blood, which was currently pouring out of their throats. He moved their bodies out of view of the door and into some nearby bushes and entered the building.

When he did, one of the receptionists looked up. Before she could open her mouth to question him, he spoke.

"I'm here with an important job from the Anti-Monitor. I need to get to your server room."

"From the ashes, a fire shall be woken; A light from the shadows shall spring." The receptionist replied. Barry cursed under his breath.

 _"Sam, get on it,"_ Barry whispered into the comms.

"I don't know! The guard didn't know anything about that!" Sam responded frantically. The receptionist raised an eyebrow at Barry. Eventually, she sighed and started to move toward the alarm button. Barry used his speed to think.

 _"Alright,"_ he thought to himself, _"What could that mean? Fires, ashes, light, shadows. Come on, come on! Alright, it's about rebirth, obviously. It's probably from a poem, so I bet it rhymes. What rhymes with 'woken'? 'Spoken'? No, that doesn't fit the theme. 'Token'? That doesn't make sense either. 'Broken'? That might be it._

 _What about 'spring'? 'Sting'? No, what about 'ring'? Not that either... Wait a minute. I've heard this before. The beginning, what is it? All...all that is gold does not glitter! That's it! Alright, so the end would be..."_

"Renewed shall be blade that was broken, the crownless again shall be king! There." Barry shouted. The receptionist's finger froze at the button. She looked back over at Barry. She then nodded and stood up.

"Come with me." She began walking to a door across the room. Barry followed her. "Through here. The signs will guide you."

"Thank you," Barry said as he entered.

* * *

Sam was standing on a nearby roof breathing a sigh of relief from Barry getting through the desk. Immediately after, though, he felt something fly past his ear. He raised his hand to his ear, finding that his comms piece was gone. Sam spun around and saw a figure standing a few feet behind him. Sam put his hand behind his back and created a knife.

"Who are you?" Sam asked the figure.

"Who do you think?" The figure responded. It raised an arm and snapped its fingers. Out from behind him came the two guards that Barry and Sam killed earlier both with their heads back on.

"Riser," Sam said in disgust.

"Correct."

"How are you here?"

"Same way you are. Anti-anti-matter suit. If that makes any sense."

"Why?"

"To see you two in action. I must say, you two are a bit more bloody than I thought. Ah well, I guess that just makes my job easier."

" _You're_ getting on to _us_ about being bloody?! That _real_ funny, cause I seem to remember a certain war you caused. You know, the one that killed the rest of my kind, my family, my _wife_ , my _**child**_. Either way, what 'job' are you talking about?"

"You don't actually _know_ that I started that war. As for the job, that's for me to know and for you and Barry to find out."

"Screw off. I'd rather not fight up here."

"Why not?" Riser brandished two daggers. "I didn't resurrect these fools for nothing." Sam sighed, then readied himself.

"Fine. Let's fight."


	15. Cry Havoc

**A/N: Late merry Christmas, and nearly happy new year! I am very sorry for the wait, so I tried to make it up to you guys by adding some cool stuff to the Riser issue and to Sam. Alright, review response time.**

 **alaskanbirdfriend - 1. Shh... don't tell anyone. 2. All questions will be answered as you read this, my friend. 3. Well, if you have an issue with cliffhangers, then you might not like the ending of this book *hint hint.**

 **Next, milestones. As I am writing this, we are at 13,571 views. Also, we are at 52 reviews. I really want to get at least 4 reviews on this chapter. There really hasn't been many lately, and I would like to hear some ideas from more than the same 2 people each chapter (Don't get me wrong, I have absolutely no problem with the two people I get constant reviews from, in fact, keep em coming! I just want to hear some more voices is all.).**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own DC, CW, or any of it's shows or characters. I do, however, own the plot of Resurrection.**

* * *

Barry walked through the door that the receptionist pointed him to. It led to a long hallway, with metal doors scattered along the walls. Two guards were present, both looking opposite the door, thankfully.

" _Alright,"_ Barry thought to himself, _"Guards aren't going to be so easily swayed in letting me pass. Considering my gear, I'll be lucky if they don't shoot on sight."_

"Phoenix," Barry whispered into the comms, "give me a sitrep." No response. "Phoenix? Phoenix! Sam! _Damn, he isn't answering. Something must have come up. Looks like I'll be on my own for a while."_ Barry crouched and dashed into a supply closet with an open door to his side. He closed the door and moved a shelf against it.

Barry sat down on the floor and place his hands next to him. _"Wait! I can't do that. There's no telling what security measures will take place if I vibrate the building to scan it. I guess I'm going blind."_ Barry got back into a crouched position and moved the shelf out of his way.

Barry slowly opened the door and looked around the corner. One of the guards was walking his way, the other staying where he was. The guard walking toward Barry noticed the door open and drew his gun.

Barry backed into the corner and vibrated as fast as he could. Slowly, Barry managed to manipulate the photons around him and bend them in such a way as to make him invisible. When the guard walked in, all he could see was a normal supply closet, noticeably free of any assassins. The guard looked around some more before turning to leave.

Barry lunged, running up to guard and pulling him back into the room. He plunged his blade into the guard's throat and covered the guard's mouth to suppress the sounds of gurgling. Once all the necessary blood had drained out, Barry removed his blade. Before he moved on, he took a moment to observe the knife.

While gruesome, the light from the single light bulb above reflecting off the blood-soaked blade looked mesmerizing. Red. Long, crimson streaks running down the knife, down his hand, his arm. All the way down into his heart. That same red is what gave him meaning.

His whole life, he was controlled by that red. Ever since he saw it seeping out of his mother and onto the floor of his old home, he had been controlled by it. Being bullied as a kid for having a murderous father, he saw his own crimson liquid nearly every week. Working in forensics, he saw it almost every day. Being the flash, he saw it at almost every single crime scene. When he died and became the Wraith, he finally managed to control the crimson.

Once he did, he learned how beautiful it can be. Summoning it with a flick of a knife or a pull of a trigger was life-changing. He was no longer a slave to it. He was finally able to control it instead. He fell in love with that crimson.

He readied himself for another attack and moved out into the hallway. The guard was still facing the other way. In one swift motion, Barry dashed up to the guard and slammed his foot into the back of the guard's knee while pulling back on the guard's shoulder. The guard cried out, but not long enough for anyone to hear. Barry forced the guard down onto his knees and pulled back on his shoulder once more, bringing the front of his torso into full view. The guard's eyes widened in fear as the knife came down into his chest.

* * *

Neither were sure who moved first. They seemed to lunge at the same time. Sam brought himself to a full flame, blue on the wings and eyes and red everywhere else. Riser aimed the daggers at Sam, and the two resurrected guards aimed their guns.

Sam brought a blue flame to his hand and extended it. Suddenly, a trail of blue fire appeared, leading back to behind the three. Once the trail reached its destination, Sam disappeared into a flame and entered into the trail. Before anyone knew it, Sam was behind them.

He summoned a bow and shot two arrows simultaneously at the two guards. The red arrows hit the guards on their heads, but they didn't kill them. The arrows expanded into nets. The nets tied the guards down and kept them from fighting.

"If we're gonna fight, then we fight one on one." Sam snapped his fingers, and the nets covering the guards erupted into a large flame. "The dead should stay dead."

"Tell that to your friend Barry."

"You know that's different."

"How so? Why does Barry get to be resurrected while your world doesn't?"

"Stop talking," Sam said, gritting his teeth.

"Maybe not your whole world. What about your family?"

"SHUT UP!"

"Or what about just one person? What was her name?"

"I SAID-"

"Oh, that's right! Peniel!"

 **"DON'T SAY HER NAME!"** Sam shouted, summoning a large ball of fire and launching it at Riser. Riser moved but wasn't fast enough to dodge it. Riser was sent flying. Sam, rage coursing through him like blood, erupted into an inferno.

Screaming at the top of his lungs, he flew at Riser. Sam flew right at Riser but kept flying straight through him. Sam turned and made another lap. And another. Another. Another. Eventually, they found themselves above some desert. Sam didn't even know what he was doing anymore. His mind was clouded in red. In one last swoop, Sam flew up as high as he could, before turning around flying back down, aiming directly for Riser.

Sam summoned all of his energy. His rage. His grief. His loss. His love. His fire. As he flew towards the ground, the flames around him morphed into a spear. He wrapped his wings around him and stared straight forward. All his emotions, his energy, his fire, he pushed it all into this spear point. And for one second, just before he hit his target, the spear almost looked like a beak. As if a giant flaming bird were flying into the ground. Almost like a phoenix.

As Sam collided with Riser, an explosion that could rival the sun was seen. Sam drove Riser straight into the ground. A crater the size of one from an atom bomb explosion was created. As the flames cleared, along with the ones on Sam and his wings, a clear picture of what happened emerged.

Riser was gone. There was no sign of him anywhere. Only a few ashes below Sam signaled what happened. Sam felt something in his hands. He looked down and saw what it was.

A sword. But it wasn't like others that he had summoned previously. It wasn't some plain, red flaming sword. No, this one was different. It was blue. Beautiful symbols and runes were scattered along the blade and hand-guard. The back of the blade had small blue flames running off it. Sam stood and pulled the sword from the ground. It was large, but not overly. Despite its size, it was light. Not too light. It's weight felt like it was weighted just for Sam. It felt perfect.

Along both sides of the blade were identical inscriptions. They were in Sam's native tongue. The inscription translates to _Faithkeeper, Last Hope of Lost Worlds_. Faithkeeper seemed to hum as Sam swung it through the air. The blue flames dancing on the back of it seemed to grow as it was being swung but then died back down once it stopped. The sword also seemed to rhythmically pulse with energy as it was being swung.

Sam felt like he remembered something about the what the sword was, but couldn't recall exactly what it was. Sam tried to call back the sword, but instead of the fire dissipating like it normally would, the sword seemed to melt into fire. The fire that was once the _Faithkeeper_ moved to the back of Sam's right hand. He felt the fire burning his hand just for a second, causing him to wince. As the fire on his hand faded, a symbol reading _Faithkeeper_ in Sam's language appeared.

"Well then. That was interesting." Sam looked up at the source of the voice. Riser was floating about 10 feet in the air. "But did you really think that would actually kill me? I'm a legend, Sam. A Fire Angel who has only now unlocked their Excalibur is nowhere near powerful enough to kill me."

"How are you alive?"

"I don't just resurrect people. I manipulate those I've resurrected as well. That includes their actions and their looks." Riser gestured to the ash below Sam. "That was some guy I found in a graveyard."

"Get down here. I'm not finished with you yet!"

"Oh please, you're in no position to fight. Any moment now you'll pass out." Riser flew past Sam and tapped him on the head, landing a few yards behind him. "There, that should be enough energy to continue on with your mission."

"Why would you help me?"

"I don't want to kill you. I love seeing all this. It's fun watching a story unfold. Anyways, I better leave. Things to do." Riser then flew off out of sight.

Sam sighed, opening a portal back to the building where Barry was.

 _"I wonder how Barry's doing without me."_

* * *

As Barry hid the other guard's body in the storage closet, he heard an explosion come from outside the building.

"Phoenix? Was that you? Are you alright? _Damn, still isn't answering. I hope he's doing okay."_ Barry moved on from the closet and continued down the hallway. At the end was an elevator. Barry approached and moved to press the button, but stopped.

 _"Wait. It might ask for verification of identity. And, since I don't have that, it could sound the alarm. I wonder..."_ Barry vibrated his hand and stuck it inside the panel to the side. After a moment, the elevator chimed and the door opened up. Barry stepped in and looked to his left. There was a sheet detailing what each floor had. There was no server room, however, there was an operations room. Barry pressed the corresponding button and started moving.

He looked up and saw a hatch at the top of the elevator. Barry opened it and climbed through. When the elevator reached the floor, Barry started to enter back into the elevator but recoiled when 2 officers stepped into the elevator.

The elevator started to move down, causing Barry to grab onto a nearby ladder. He waited for the elevator to leave the floor before pressing the maintenance button, opening the doors to the floor.

The doors opened up to a small hallway that led to multiple others. Barry followed the signs until reaching the operations room. He opened the door and entered.

The room was large, much like a warehouse. Boxes were everywhere, holding armaments in them. People were scattered everywhere, but most were at the war table near the center of the room. Barry was too far away to hear what was being said. He ran up a pile of boxes and used his speed to jump onto the large light above them. Barry grabbed on and listened closely.

"...on Operation Nightwalker? The Daycrawler building is too far away from us to know." One highly decorated man asked. He directed his question at a few heavily armored soldiers.

"The troop production is nearly completed. Our assault will be ready in 48 matter hours."

Barry froze, his eyes widened.

 _"Two days?! The Speed Force said that they weren't even near completion! We might just have to alert the Overseer's forces."_

"Good. Any word from the Anti-Monitor?" This time the question was directed towards a man just as decorated as the one asking the question.

"Proceed as planned. Also, he suspects that two enemy assassins have crossed the barrier and entered into our world, but is not sure of their location, even with his reality altering abilities."

"So one could be here now."

"We have done a matter sweep of the area sir, and have found no signs of matter. We should be clear."

Barry reached into a pocket and pulled out the emergency communicator. He was about to press it but stopped.

 _"I should tell Sam and get his opinion before I do anything."_ Barry placed the communicator back in his pocket and ran out of the building.

Barry ran up to the building where Sam was supposed to be and found nothing except for a large whole and ash. Luckily, the ash seemed to be pointed in a single direction, leading Barry to follow it.

Eventually, Barry found himself in a desert about 50 miles from the initial building. From there, it didn't take too long for him to find the massive crater in the ground.

Barry slowly approached it, drawing his knife and readying for a fight. He quickly realized his fears were unfounded when he spotted Sam standing in the middle of the hole in the ground. He looked tired, yet was in the process of opening a fire portal.

"Sam! What happened?!" Barry shouted, trying to get his attention. Sam stopped, cleared out the progress he had made on the portal, and turned to look at Barry.

"Barry? How did you find me?"

"Ash trail on the ground and in the sky. Plus, the giant crater is pretty noticeable." Sam looked down at his feet and shrugged.

"Yeah... sorry."

"No need," Barry said, walking into the crater towards Sam. "What happened anyway? And what is that symbol on your hand?"

Sam quickly filled Barry in on all that happened. Riser appearing, the fight, him losing control. The sword and its name.

"Any idea of what the sword actually is?"

"None. Riser called it an 'Excalibur', but I still don't know what that means."

"Maybe the Speed Force will know what it means." Barry offered. Sam nodded in response.

"Well, what did you find on your end?"

"Nothing good, turns out they will be able to deploy the forces in two days. We have to call in the assault team."

"You're right. You have the emergency communicator, right?"

"Yeah," Barry responded, pulling out the small radio-looking device. "This is it. You sure we should do this? Now that I think about it, our job was only to destroy the production facility. Not to kill the army."

"True. How 'bout this. We alert them to the time constraint, but tell them to hold off until we tell them that the production facility is destroyed, or if we just need to attack with everything we have."

"Alright." Barry pressed the button on the side and spoke into the mic. "Overseers? Listen, we don't have much time.

Turns out that they're nearly ready for the assault. Two days before they attack. I realize that this is for us to alert you in case we are discovered, but we are alerting you now. We still intend on destroying their production facility before you attack, but you do need to assemble forces now. Get them ready, and send them in as soon as we say so.

Next time you'll hear from us, we will have already destroyed the facility, or we will need backup for an all-out assault on the army. Wraith and Phoenix, out."

"Good," Phoenix said once Barry put away the communicator. "Now, did they say where the production facility is?"

"They mentioned something about a 'Daycrawler' facility in regards to the army. Anything like that on your map?"

"I'll look." Sam pulled up the map and looked around for a minute. "Here. This has to be it."

"Alright then. Let's go."

* * *

"He-hello? Is, um, is anyone there?" Caitlin said into the mic wired into the telepathic device. "Hello?" They kept trying to receive an answer for a while, but no response came. While they were trying again, Cisco and Caitlin heard a bang from behind them. Both turned and readied themselves for a fight.

"Do not fret, I have no intention of harming either of you. You called me, after all." A voice came from behind some boxes. A figure stepped out of cover.

"Rising Star?" Caitlin asked.

"Correct," He responded. "I must admit, I am impressed that you too managed to build such a device. I can see Adisa's handiwork in it."

"Whoa. So, you're him then? The freaky guy that Flash and Phoenix keep talking about. You know, I honestly expected a little more grit in your expression." Cisco said, ending with a chuckle. Caitlin shot him a glare. "Sorry."

"No need. The false legends that are put out with my name make me seem like some kind of monster. But, I assure you, I am no such thing. Also, I already know that the Flash is Barry Allen and Phoenix is Samandriel."

"Well, then what are you?" Cisco asked.

"I take it you two have some time?"

"Yeah," Caitlin responded, "We made sure of it."

"Good. Well, I am a necromancer. I can raise people from the dead, but usually not in the resurrection sense. There has only been one case where I have returned someone's body to life and given them the capacity of free choice and the ability to use their previous memories. It takes a lot out of me, you see.

Usually, they become, essentially, slaves. Husks of nothing that I can implant my orders into. While it does sound gruesome, It is the only way I can. I've never liked doing it, as disturbing the dead and their sleep seems extremely disrespectful to me.

So, I use my powers as a sort of lesson. I find people that seem to have no respect for the gift of human life and teach them otherwise. People who kill without thinking, without remorse. I use different methods, but eventually, I teach them that life is sacred. I teach them that lives, even the lives of enemies, are still lives.

What you call an enemy is a husband or wife to another. What you call a monster is a beloved son or daughter to another. Who you scream, 'murderer, pay for what you've done' at, another yells 'mommy, your home' to. That's what I try to teach."

Both Caitlin and Cisco were taken aback by his honest-sounding speech. They didn't expect such passion about preserving life from someone who was fabled to have been the destroyer of Jewel, among other things.

"When you contacted me," Rising star continued, "I was in another universe observing Barry and Sam."

"Why were you doing that?" Caitlin asked.

"I know that both of you still distrust me, even if not as much as when you first learned of me. I thought that taking some footage of the two in their natural habitat, the battleground, would prove to you two that they are both killers, and do need help."

"Well, what did you find?" Caitlin asked again.

"I don't have everything I want compiled just yet, so I can't really show it to you now. And, if I don't show it to you, there's no reason for you to believe me." Rising Star started walking back to the entrance of the warehouse.

"I will say this, however," Rising Star said, "If your hope is of them being merciful, then you will be sorely disappointed." Rising Star turned around and left the building, flashing a small smirk that was hidden from the duo's sight.

"Trust me," Rising Star said to himself, chuckling. "When I'm done with you two, you'll look at Wraith and Phoenix like they do at me."


	16. And Let Slip the Dogs of War

**A/N: I'm just the greatest at upload schedules. Anyways, let's get into it.**

 **Guest - As soon as this mission is over (next chapter), there will be quite a bit of team Flash drama, so don't worry!**

 **alaskanbirdfriend - I don't even know how to respond to this. Seriously, I'm stunned. I like the fact that your mind is going every which way with this.**

 **Brian Hughes - Thanks! Btw, learn math my friend.**

 **We also hit 15,000 views recently. AWESOME! I'm so happy!**

 **Lastly, I'm changing the upload time from 8 AM EST to 12 PM EST. Also, I'm aiming for 4 reviews again, since we didn't get there last time.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own DC, CW, or any of its shows or characters. I do own the plot of Resurrection.**

* * *

Barry and Sam arrived at what they, correctly, assumed to be the Daycrawler facility. It was a small structure, no bigger than the main room of the CCPD office. It was in the middle of another barren desert, with nothing else in sight.

"Must be underground," Barry offered. He knelt down and placed his hands on the sand beneath him. He began vibrating, loose grains jumping up and down as if dancing to an unheard rhythm. After a moment, Barry stood.

"Yep. There's a massive facility underneath all this sand here."

"Great," Sam replied. "Want me to make a map?"

"Only if you can be discreet about it. No giant infernos."

"That only happened because I was scanning an entire planet when I did it earlier. Watch." Sam sat just as he had before, with his hands on the ground beside him. Sam blinked and his eyes lit, his wings coming to life.

"Well, I guess the blue flame does protect your wings," Barry said.

"Yeah. I'd be dead if they didn't." Sam continued, pushing power into the ground. Blue flames moved about and around him, but not violently like before. They also ended about a meter away from him. After a few minutes of this, Sam stopped and hid his wings, standing.

"Here, this is all I could find." Sam held out his hand and summoned a 3D map of the complex. "This looks promising." Sam pointed to a large room near the bottom. It seemed to be as big as a few football fields.

"That must be where they're creating the army," Barry said.

"Yeah. I mean, it's not big enough to destroy the multiverse, but they probably have placed all around the globe with stashes bigger than this."

"Luckily, we don't have to worry about those." Barry approached the entrance of the building. "Ready?"

"Always," Sam responded. Barry approached the walls of the aboveground building and vibrated them. Inside, he found about 10 heavily armored guards, along with stationed turrets with auto-targeting capabilities. He relayed the info to Sam.

"Alright. You target the turrets, and I'll take care of the guards. I wanna test out my new toy." Sam responded with a smirk, lighting his eyes and wings. Barry chuckled and nodded.

"3, 2, 1... go," Barry said. They burst through the doors, ready to fight.

Barry immediately started taking down the turrets, allowing Sam to fight the guards. Sam looked down at his right hand, observing the symbol. He pushed power into it, causing it to glow. Sam took a stance he normally would with a longsword. As he did, blue flames poured out of the back of his hand, wrapping around it and extending into a sword. In a split second, Faithkeeper was fully formed.

The men fired their weapons, mostly aiming at Sam. Barry simply dodged them, while Sam extended a hand and created a floating shield of fire. As the bullets passed through it, they melted and formed a pool of melted metal on the ground in front of Sam.

At this point, Barry was done but wanted to see what Sam could do. As the guards were reloading, Sam swung the blade, forcing extra power into it. A burst of energy left the Faithkeeper, hitting some of the guards. They were immediately caught on fire, sending them to the floor in agony. The remaining guards drew their sidearms and began firing them. Sam teleported behind them with a blue flame trail. They looked around and eventually saw him. They didn't even have time to aim before Sam made another cut in the air, sending the rest of them flying into the opposite wall. All but one. The one remaining dropped his weapon and held his hands up.

"Please, please don't kill me!" He pleaded, dropping to his knees. Sam lowered the edge of the sword to the guard's chin and raised his head.

"Why?"

"What?"

"Why shouldn't I kill you? I mean, you are defending the place that is trying to destroy my home."

"Listen, I don't even know what I'm guarding! I was told to do this or my family would be killed. Please?!"

"Leave him be," Barry said, revealing himself. "He knows better than to signal the rest of the base."

"Sure you wanna risk it?"

"Yeah. Why not?"

"Fine." Sam removed his sword from the guard's neck. He knelt down to the guard and chopped off one of his arms. The guard screamed out in pain. Sam put the Faithkeeper back in its rune, covering the guard's mouth. Sam also placed a hand on the arm stub and healed it, the skin growing over the wound.

"Signal an alarm and I'll cut off the other one." Sam stood and met Barry. Barry had made his way to the back of the room where an elevator was waiting.

"Let's go," Barry said. They both stepped into the elevator and sent it down.

* * *

Barry reached up and vibrated his hand, using it as a saw to cut open a hole on the top of the elevator for the two to climb through. When they climbed up, Barry placed his hands on the elevator once again and vibrated them. The metal started to bend, eventually resulting in the hatch he created to look completely sealed. He left multiple weak points so it would be easy to just jump back through.

Eventually, they reached their destination. It was as far down as they could go without better clearance. Barry vibrated the elevator and found that two guards had stepped in, trying to figure out why it came down. Some of the vibrations spread into the hallway outside, revealing another guard keeping watch.

"I'll take the two in the elevator, you take the one outside," Barry whispered to Sam.

"Alright," Sam responded. Barry counted off on his fingers, then made his move.

Barry crashed through the weakened ceiling, landing on one of the guards. Sam jumped through after him, using the other guard as a springboard to get outside.

When Barry landed, he drove the knife into the side of the guard's neck. Barry stood, moving to the other guard that Sam jumped off of. The guard threw a punch but was too fast. He leaned to the right and watched the punch soar past him.

Barry grabbed the wrist in front of him and pulled the arm toward him while raising his knife. He plunged his blade into the upper arm of the guard. Barry then used his grip on the wrist along with his own strength and pulled the guard toward the knife. In doing so, Barry didn't even have to move the knife as it tore through arm muscle, a shoulder, and finally the neck.

Barry released his grip on the body and looked at the opening. Sam was leaning on the "doorframe" with a smug look on his face.

"What took you so long, 'Fastest Man Alive'? Was the 'Crimson Comet' not fast enough for the guards?" Sam said in a teasing voice.

"Shut up," Barry said, chuckling while walking past Sam. He chuckled as well. "What should we do with the bodies?"

"This." Sam tossed the third body into the elevator. He faced Barry and extended a finger gun to the bodies. "Boom." Sam said as his "pulled the trigger", causing the pile to be enveloped in a fire.

"Show-off."

"Shut up."

The duo continued on their way, Barry periodically vibrating the walls for signs of guards. Any that they came across were dealt with swiftly. Working their way down the complex, Barry and Sam readied themselves to take down the Nightwalkers.

Eventually, they reached the bottom of the complex. They walked out onto a catwalk overlooking the entire room. The room, by the way, was large as a single room could get. It was massive.

"Get rid of any enemies on the catwalk, so we have room to breathe," Sam said to Barry.

"Got it. Done."

"Where did you put them?"

"The Void."

"... I don't even want to know what that is. Let's keep moving." The two started walking along the catwalk, observing what was below them.

The room was filled with what they assumed to be the Nightwalkers. Each nightwalker was about 10 feet tall. They had arms that were so long they nearly reached their feet. Instead of hands, the Nightwalkers arms ended is points, as sharp as can be. They looked slightly transparent, yet were easily noticeable.

The room contained multiple "stories" with floors made of a glass-like material. This allowed for more Nightwalkers to fit into the room.

"Well." Barry started, looking at Sam, "As if we didn't already have enough nightmare fuel."

"Yeah. Do you see the control terminal?"

"I think that's it." Barry pointed to a large console on the bottom floor.

"Seriously? How do we do that?"

"I could try running down there."

"No, I don't wanna risk tipping them off. We don't know what they will react to. What if we walk down there?"

"How is that better?"

"We walk past them, but we don't let them touch us. It doesn't look like they have eyes."

"I guess. Let's go."

Barry grabbed Sam and ran them down to the top floor. across from them was a doorway that most likely went down. The pair started walking through the crowd.

As they passed, the Nightwalkers tilted their heads toward Barry and Sam, yet didn't attack. They made a deep rattling noise, echoing eerily throughout the room.

After a while, the two managed to make their way to the control terminal. Barry started going through everything.

"Alright." Barry started. "There's not a shutdown, but we should be able to overload the system."

"How?"

"One of the logs said that it will overload if it is told to create enough of the Nightwalkers. So..." Barry opened a command prompt and instructed the computer to print out 999999 per second. "Think that's enough?" Barry asked sarcastically.

"Yup. Now let's leave before-" Sam was cut off when he heard a loud screeching come from behind him. Both turned to see a Nightwalker running toward them, screeching.

Barry grabbed Sam and ran back to the elevator where they arrived. He ran straight through the elevator and ran up the shaft. They emerged into the surface building and stopped. The guard had run away, giving them peace.

"Ready to alert the Speed Force?" Barry asked Sam, pulling out the radio to be used signal that they were finished with the job.

"Yup. You think we'll be fighting?"

"Probably. They need all the help they can get. If there wasn't a time limit, we probably wouldn't have to."

"Yeah. Alright, let's do it." Sam responded. Barry nodded and pressed the transmit button.

"Wraith to Overseer. We did it. The Nightwalker production facility is shut down and is most likely about to blow up. If you're planning on sending in those forces, now's the time. Our coordinates are as follows. North 46 degrees 43 point 295 minutes, west 156 degrees 86 point 486 minutes. We'll be waiting." Barry released pressure on the button.

"Alright. When do you think they'll arrive?"

"Soon. They know that they're timed."

* * *

After about 10 minutes, Barry and Sam both felt a change in the air. They walked out of the building and into the desert. Expecting the Speed Force, they were confused when they heard a rattling. They two looked up.

A Nightwalker was standing 5 meters in front of them.

As soon as they noticed the creature, it began screeching. The same noise from the charging Nightwalker in the complex was being heard now. The Nightwalker bent down and lunged at Sam. It extended its arms toward him. Before Sam could move, it struck.

The Nightwalkers arms, ending in points, plunged themselves into Sam's shoulders, knocking him down to the ground. The creature hovered over Sam.

After a second, energy started flowing between the Nightwalker and Sam. The Nightwalker began to glow slightly, while Sam started to go pale.

Barry used all his energy and charged into the Nightwalker, sending them both tumbling to the side. Barry started striking with his blade, but nothing worked.

The Nightwalker threw Barry off of him and got up. Barry raced over to Sam.

"What are we supposed to do?" Barry asked.

"I have no idea."

Right as the Nightwalker was about to stab both of them, a loud boom was heard. The Nightwalker in front of them disintegrated, bursting into millions of tiny fragments. Barry and Sam looked at the source of the noise.

To their left was a man. A man that the two spoke with before they arrived on this planet. He was holding a large cannon with a tube connecting to a backpack of similar design.

"Just on time, Overseer," Barry said.

"Thank goodness your here," Sam added.

"Yeah. I see you guys got the job done."

"Yup," Barry confirmed. "We've been waiting for you to arrive. Will we be fighting?"

"Only in one battle. Let's take you guys to the base for the briefing."

"Let's go," Sam said.

* * *

The base was small. They captured a military refueling station and set up tents scattered along the grounds.

Barry and Sam were in a slightly larger tent than the rest, along with the Speed Force and a few other soldiers. One was wearing what the Overseer was wearing on the field. Some sort of cannon. There was a table in the center of the tent.

"Alright," the Overseer said, "Let's begin.

From our scans of the planet, there are 24 other bases containing Nightwalkers. These all contain many more Nightwalkers than Barry and Sam felt with. That's why we're ramping up our plan.

The first step is to send in two or so scouts to plot out a path from the start of the building to the Nightwalker chamber. They will also be clearing said path. This means disposing of any guards along the way. However, plotting the path comes first, so if killing a guard means getting spotted, then leave him be.

The next step will be the Assault Force. All of the bases have large enemy numbers, not counting the contained Nightwalkers. The Assault Force will battle the enemy, eliminating all but the Nightwalkers.

Then the last step. The Nightwalker Elimination Force, or N.E.F., will make their way to the bay with the Nightwalkers. From there, they will eliminate every last one. To-"

"Wait, wait, wait. How do you plan on killing them? We didn't even manage to scratch them." Barry said, gesturing between himself and Sam.

"That's where these things come in." The Overseer gestured to cannon and backpack on the table.

"These are what we call P.A.C.'s, or 'Pressurised Air Cannon. Each P.A.C. is comprised of a backpack and a cannon. The main difference between this and ones you find on earths is its backpack. The backpack contains a small fissure that connects it to the Matter world. This allows it to draw in endless amounts of air."

"And why would we need that?" Sam asked.

"Because, if the air is shot out at a high enough speed with enough force, it will be enough to be considered usual matter to the Nightwalkers. We are gonna defeat the Nightwalkers by allowing them to complete their goal. They're gonna cancel out matter, while also canceling out themselves."

"So you're telling me that we're eliminating the Nightwalkers by using glorified air dusters?" Barry asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes!" The Overseer responded, smirking. "Now, back to the plan.

That will go for most bases. There is one, however, that will require special attention. The base closest to the matter world has more defenses than ever thought possible. We aren't going to be using the steps. We're brute forcing it. The Assult Team and the N.E.F. will attack together. Barry, Sam, I want you two on that base. Any questions?"

"No sir." All the soldiers answered in unison.

"Alright. Dismissed." The soldiers left the tent, along with Barry and the Overseer. Sam, however, stayed.

"Overseer, wait," Sam called out. The Speed Force turned and smiled.

"Yes, Phoenix?"

"I do have a question, just one I wanted to ask alone."

"Sure. What is it?"

"When we first got here, I was confronted by someone."

"Who?"

"It's probably shocking, but... the Rising Star." The Overseer chuckled and nodded.

"I'm not that surprised. Continue."

"Oh, well, okay. Anyways, He said some things that caused me to lose my cool. I attacked him with everything, dashing through the air, slamming into him with everything I had. Eventually, I went as high up as I could and flew down, slamming into him and driving him into the ground. You should have seen the crater I created.

It turned out it actually wasn't him, just some puppet he was using. However, when the smoke from the impact cleared, I was holding something. Here." Sam raised his hand and turned the back of it to the Overseer. He did the same thing he did before, pushing power to the symbol hidden by a glove. Even through the glove, the symbol was still clearly visible.

The Overseer's eyes widened and he started grinning. Sam outstretched his hand, the back of it facing the sky. He clenched his hand and opened it. Once he did, the Faithkeeper appeared.

"You... you did it! You got your Excalibur!"

"What's that?"

"Think of it as the manifestation of your soul in the form of a weapon. When a Fire Angel's power level is high enough, an emotion extreme enough will give their soul the ability to be manifested in the form of a weapon. What's its name?"

"Faithkeeper, Last Hope of Lost Worlds."

"See? It fits your mission. Now, there is a way to unlock another Soul Item, but that's for another time."

"Wow. Cool."

"You deserve it, Sam. Wield it well."

"I will."


	17. The Eleventh Hour

**A/N: FINALLY! I'M ON TIME!**

 **We are right near the end of the book! I am so excited for this.**

 **neonanddiva - I'm really glad that my work inspired you to write! I hope it all goes well.**

 **Brian Hughes - Thanks. I really like the Excalibur idea, and will definitely be using it often in the future.**

 **Btw, I missed you alaskanbirdfriend. :(**

 **Anyways, as I am writing this A/N (Friday night at 9:50), we are at 16,542 views. Awesome! I'm really glad we've gotten this far.**

 **Without further ado (except for the disclaimer), here's chapter 17 of Resurrection!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own DC, CW, or any of its shows or characters. I do, however, own Resurrection and it's plot.**

* * *

 _"And thus it begins." Riser remarked. He stood atop a building a mile away from the battlefield on which Wraith and Phoenix would soon be arriving._

 _From behind him, a soldier approached._

 _"Permission to speak freely, sir?" The undead soldier asked his leader._

 _"Permission granted."_

 _"When you say 'it begins', what do you mean? What begins?" The soldier asked. Riser chuckled and turned to the man. He put his arm around his shoulder and brought him up to the edge of the building._

 _"What begins? Well, my boy, I'll tell you."_

 _"What is it?"_

 _"...The end."_

 _"What?"_

 _"This battle... is the beginning of the end."_

 _"For whom?"_

 _"Who else? For him."_

 _"You mean..."_

 _"Yes. Once he steps onto that battlefield, Wraith will finally have brought upon his own destruction."_

* * *

Once they arrived at the battlefield, Barry and Sam finally got a good view of the numbers that the Speed Force had brought. The size of their army was massive, spanning as far as the eye could see in both directions. And this was just one facility.

With the forces lined up, the Speed Force addressed the group. Multiple instances of the Speed Force appeared with a gust of wind every couple hundred feet.

"Soldiers! Our time has come!

The Antimonitor has done it again! He has threatened the lives of everyone who lives in the multiverse. He cares nothing for our people, our wives, husbands, or children! All he seeks is death and destruction!

Today, we end that! With the help of our brothers-in-arms Wraith and Phoenix, we managed to stop the Antimonitor from completing his horrendous task of everyone that we know and love.

Now, we must destroy his creatures before he can release any. I know we can do it, we've completed harder tasks.

We do this not for honor! We do this not for glory! We do this, rather, for peace!

Now, men, march on! March on and save our land! To victory!"

"To victory!" The mass of soldiers shouted, seeming loud enough to be heard across the world. The Speed Force disappeared in a flash, allowing the forces to charge forward.

Sam flared up and took to the sky along with a number of others that could fly, while Barry took another approach. Speedsters ran toward the facility, soldiers with wings flew around, some dropping bombs on the facility while others shot at it. Telekinetics dashed through the air, throwing objects and masses of energy at the enemies. Many others with different powers made various other attacks.

Despite the massive onslaught of the Speed Force soldiers, the antimatter facility was holding strong. Bombs, fire, energy, while keeping the enemies on the defensive, barely made a scratch.

Barry managed to work his way around to the side of the building and burst into it. Phasing through the wall, he readied himself for a fight.

The antimatter soldiers were expecting this. They had forces lined up facing every inch of the walls. When Barry phased through, he was faced with an onslaught of gunfire, enough that if one were to look from the side, they wouldn't be able to distinguish one bullet from the next. Barry, however, stood there, letting the bullets pass through him.

After Barry made his point, he raised his hands with his palms facing toward the enemies. Vibrating his body just enough as to continually pass through the bullets, he was able to channel the rest of his energy into his arms.

Barry began to shoot lightning out with his hands. He pulled back a hand and thrust it forward with such speed as to send out a bolt of electricity. He then did the same with the other hand. Alternating like this allowed for the enemies to be put down rather quickly, while also striking fear into others watching.

Doing this brought a thought to Barry's mind. About 30 years into his employment with the Speed Force, a friend he had made while there asked him a question.

 _"Why do you take your time in battle? You could easily wipe out an entire army within a few seconds."_

 _"Because," Barry responded, "war isn't just about fighting. It's about sending a message. When one country fights another, it's telling them that they are considered so vile to us that we actively want to kill them. Wiping out an entire army doesn't do that. Also, there is honor on the battlefield. I honor the people I fight by giving them a chance."_

* * *

Sam flew overhead, wings aflame and weapons brandished. After a moment, he finally reached the front lines, where the majority of the fighting took place. He flew a bit further, trying to find just the right spot.

He found a spot just inside their forces where a mass of enemies was scrambling to fight. Sam flew into the sky, just above the cloud barrier, and slammed back down into the ground. He pointed the tip Faithkeeper in front of him, allowing it to strike first.

When Faithkeeper struck the ground, a burst of blue flame shot out in all directions. Everyone, friend, and foe, within 30 feet of him were burned to ash in an instant. Luckily, there were only a few friendlies near him that were killed by it.

After a moment of disbelief, the surviving antimatter forces around him began attacking him. They used all sorts of weaponry, from guns to bows, and from swords to knives.

In usual circumstances, Sam would have felt slightly on edge. But in this battle, Sam never felt more alive. Slashing and cutting with Faithkeeper, he took down multiple enemies at a time.

A sword slashes toward his left shoulder, and he deflects it, sliding his blade up the edge of theirs, and subsequentially decapitates them. If a bullet managed to hit him, the fire around him simply melted the lead before it could even make contact. If he felt too surrounded, Sam simply drove his sword into the ground and sent out a blast of energy, killing all nearby. His wings acted as both a weapon and a shield, Burning those who got close and deflecting any blows against them because of the fire around them.

In short, he had nothing to worry about.

Eventually, he got bold. He started dashing through the enemy forces, cutting down all in his path. He left a trail of fear and death in his wake. He killed everyone that he saw.

Sam froze in his tracks. Others used this to their advantage, but Sam simply surrounded himself in his wings. Something shot through him. Not a bullet, not an arrow. A thought. A thought brought on by his dashing through the antimatter forces.

Memories of Jewel flashed through his eyes. Growing up. Entering school. Graduating. Entering the military academy. His wife. His kids. Rebelling against the war he oh so hated.

Hate.

War.

Hating war.

He used to hate war. He was actively avoiding the final war for Jewel.

Now, look at him.

He's fighting like it's a dream come true. A dream to slaughter all who oppose him.

A dream to kill everyone in front of him.

A dream to kill.

Just.

Like.

Jewel.

* * *

Once Barry eliminated the squad that was shooting at him, others started to shoot at him. Barry drew his knife, dodging, ducking, and running through the onslaught of bullets toward the ones firing them. He made quick work of each target, cutting them open or stabbing them in vital areas. Eventually, nearly the entire inside of the entrance was attacking him.

 _"Perfect, just keep doing that, and not defending."_

Soon the weight of the Overseer's forces' attacks became too overwhelming to defend against. The forces that Barry didn't reach had retreated deeper into the building or were finished off by the outside soldiers.

Right as the Speed Forces soldiers were about to enter, an Overseer appeared blocking their way. The forces stopped and saluted.

"Good job, men! You've done well. Now, as for what we're doing next, we can't have the entire army moving in, so only the best of the best will go in and escort the N.E.F. into the Nightwalker chamber. The rest will stay out here, making sure no one can get out or in. Now, all N.E.F. and selected soldiers meet me at the entrance to the complex."

Barry heard a chirp in his ear signaling him to join the N.E.F. First, Barry wanted to check on Sam.

He ran out to the battlefield and found Sam standing still, like a statue. Barry was about to call out to him before he saw a nearby body move and aim a pistol at Sam.

"Sam, look out!" Barry called out. This seemed to shake Sam out of his daze, but the bullet was already in the air. Barry raced forward and caught the bullet. He then threw it at the attacking soldier, it hit him square in the forehead.

"Sam, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah. I just..." Barry saw through Sam's protective mask some of his eyes, but even that was enough to tell Barry what was wrong.

"Was it Jewel? Last time you had that look in your eyes was not too long after you joined the Speed Force."

"Yeah. I guess this battle just, triggered something. I don't know."

"Well, are you alright to move on? We don't have much left to do if you want to sit this out."

"No, I wanna finish this."

"Alright. Well, let's go!"

* * *

The remaining antimatter forces were easy to deal with. With Barry as lead, he sent back the remaining assault forces except for telekinetics. All that remained were the N.E.F, Barry, Sam, and 3 telekinetics.

The team of around 50 people entered the Nightwalker chamber. It was pitch black inside. The place must have been massive, as each footstep echoed for seeming ages.

"Alright," Barry whispered. "Be ready for a fight. I bet there are still soldiers in here that hid." At that, the room lit up.

It was bigger than any of them could have imagined. Extending on for nearly forever, the room felt like an entire world. A catwalk hung from above, housing quite a number of antimatter soldiers.

The room was layered just like the one Barry and Sam visited earlier. On it was endless amounts of Nightwalkers, all looking at the group of Speed Force soldiers.

Only a few seconds after the lights came on, the soldiers started firing into the group. Sam, in nearly the blink of an eye, move to the front of the group and hovered a few feet off the ground, wrapping the group in his wings.

"What do we do, Wraith?" Sam asked, wincing from the few bullets that hit him in the back.

"N.E.F. and Phoenix, start attacking the Nightwalkers. The rest of us will take out the soldiers and join you when we're done. Go!"

The assault team moved to the catwalk. Some by running, some by climbing, and some by flying. Once they were in the clear, Sam dropped down, healed, and faced the Nightwalkers.

Once they reached the catwalk, the assault team began attacking the remaining antimatter soldiers. The fight was easy, especially because of the mental health of their enemies.

They were the remains of the defenses for the facility. All their brothers in arms were dead and they were sure to follow. Seeing all of their friends, their family, all slaughtered, they were not doing well.

Because of their slowly degrading psyche, they were easy to beat. Once the assault team was finished with them, they rejoined the fight below.

...

Once the assault team made their way to the catwalk, Sam and the N.E.F. started attacking the Nightwalkers. Sam began slashing with his sword and the N.E.F. used their cannons to blast the Nightwalkers away. The Nightwalkers only seemed to charge at them, proving to be easy targets. Things were looking up for the Speed Force.

Were.

After the assault team finished fighting the enemies above, they dropped down to the entrance and joined the N.E.F. The team rushed forward, hitting the Nightwalkers from the side while they charged at the N.E.F. However, something interesting happened. The Nightwalkers got smart.

They began fighting in groups as if they were part of some sort of hive mind. While one acted as a decoy, another made its move. They began to completely ignore the N.E.F. and focused solely on the assault team. One by one, the assault team's numbers lessened. The survivors frantically tried to stop them, but they barely made a scratch.

The survivors retreated to the entrance, but the Nightwalker onslaught continued. At some point, while Barry was trying to defend one of the survivors, a Nightwalker charged right at him. Sam shouted, but his cry was nothing compared to the chaos in the chamber.

Flashes of Jewel appeared in his mind. His loved ones dying at his hand. His friends dying because he couldn't protect them. Because he was weak. Sam refused to let that happen again.

Rage shot through his veins, overpowering the blood that was pumping at an all-time high. A fury nearly unprecedented wrapped around Sam's mind, Sam's body, coiling around him like a snake.

His old friends already died. He refused to let these die as well.

He dashed forward, screaming at the top of his lungs. He slammed into the Nightwalker, causing it to shatter into a million pieces.

Sam was out of control at this point. So much rage, so much hate, so much fury. It was all bottled up for far too long. He returned to the front of the survivors, wings fully extended.

The survivors stared in awe at the sight in front of them. Sam's usual colors are blue on the wings and eyes, and red on the rest of the body. This was mainly to efficiently use power.

Now, everything but Sam's head was blue.

Not just a normal blue. This blue was brighter, more vibrant than ever before. They could feel the power rippling off of him.

In Sam's right hand he brandished a sword. His sword. _Faithkeeper, Last Hope of Lost Worlds._ The sword birthed from his soul. The sword birthed from his desire to act vengeance on those who threatened the ones that he loved.

Phoenix raised the Faithkeeper straight in front of him, edge pointing down and tip pointing out, toward the Nightwalkers. He took a step forward and lifted into the air. Instantly, he was shot forward, wings acting as blades cutting down every single Nightwalker. The fire blew back, forming what looked like a blue phoenix.

Once Phoenix reached the end of the room, he flew up and straight into the next level of Nightwalkers. He did this until every last one was wiped out.

He returned to the front and landed on his feet. Sam was still for a moment before "sheathing" Faithkeeper and hiding his wings along with his flames, head hanging. He lifted his head and met Barry's eyes, before collapsing. Barry rushed forward and caught Sam, slinging him over his shoulder.

"Let's go."

* * *

The team returned and informed the Overseer of what happened. After a "victory" speech, the troops started returning to the Watchtower. The Overseer gave Sam a quick fix because of his insane power usage and cleared him for return.

"So," Barry asked while in pod returning to the Watchtower, "what was that in there?"

"My flare up?"

"Yeah."

"I don't know. I saw you about to be killed and I lost it. Flew into this blind rage. I didn't even realize I had this kind of potential."

"Everything but your head was blue."

"Seriously? I knew I had a lot of power, but I didn't think I had this much."

"I know. Maybe soon you would have a chance against me in a match."

"Oh, screw off!" Sam replied with a chuckle, with Barry joining in quickly.

"What do you think we should do when we get home?" Sam asked

"I was thinking about becoming a CSI again. It's been enough time since the Flash revealed himself. What about you?"

"I think I'll need a vacation. I've been thinking, and I need to work some things out with my past."

"That's good. Reflection can be a good thing."

"Yeah."

The two sat in silence for the rest of the ride.

* * *

The two returned to Earth-1 about 10 minutes later. It was late (at least 11 PM), cloudy overhead, and starting to sprinkle. From what the two gathered, it had been about 2 weeks since they left for the job.

They entered S.T.A.R. Labs and slowly walked to the elevator that would take them to the cortex, taking in the familiar sights.

Once they reached the desired floor, they made their way to the cortex.

Inside were Caitlin and Cisco sitting at separate computers, working in an eerie yet peaceful silence. It seems they didn't hear the approaching footsteps because they both jumped when Barry spoke.

"Hey, guys!" Barry exclaimed from seeing his best friends. They both were startled, but they relaxed when they saw Barry's face.

"Oh, hey Barry! How's it going?" Cisco asked a slight waver in his voice.

"Hey, it's nice to have you two back," Caitlin said, also shakey.

"Thanks, Caitlin." The two hugged, but Caitlin pulled away fairly quickly as if repulsed. Her face revealed no such emotion. "And it's going well, Cisco. We're both pretty tired, just came back from a massive battle."

"Battle?" Caitlin asked.

"Yeah. Long story short, a bad guy created an army of suicide bombers, and we had to quell them and the normal soldiers before they could destroy the entire multiverse."

"It was a massive fight, too," Sam added.

"How so?" Cisco asked

"Imagine the biggest military you could think of fighting a nearly equally powerful force. Now throw that away because our side was ten times larger than that." Barry explained. A klaxon sounded off.

"Cool. Um, anyways, you two should head off to bed. We are actually expecting someone. He should be here any minute."

"Oh. Alright then. We'll see you-"

"Oh, no, please, stay. I insist." A voice came from the front of the cortex. Everyone turned to see the source of the noise. Standing there was a face that, now, everyone was familiar with.

"Rising Star." Everyone uttered in unison.

"Nice job at the Nightwalker complex, guys. Really outdid yourselves. Especially in your body count."

"Dammit Riser, why the hell are you here?" Barry asked, slowly growing angry.

"I'm here to fulfill my promise. I'm here to show your friends that you need help. And that I can help you."

"Cut the shit." Barry started, "You leave right now or-"

"QUIET!" Caitlin shouted, startling everyone.

"Caitlin, why are you so calm? You-" Barry stopped talking as a thought ran through his mind. Barry's eyes widened as realization dawned on him.

"No. No. Please don't tell me that this is who you're expecting." Caitlin simply looked away in response.

"I am." Riser answered in place of Caitlin.

"What did you do to them?" Barry hissed.

"I merely told them the truth. That you need help. That Sam needs help."

"And how exactly do we need help?" Sam asked.

"You both kill far too often. I've come to show them what happens when you both are taken off your leash."

"And how exactly do you plan on doing that?" Barry asked. Riser snapped his fingers. Simultaneously, all the screens in the cortex came to life. They began playing video.

"What is this?" Barry asked.

"This is the first person you killed after you were resurrected. Butchered beyond repair. However, you've all seen this. How about I show some better footage." Another clip began.

"Caitlin, I remember you having some distrust over Barry's testimony of what occurred when he informed Kara about the Christmas party. He claimed that all he destroyed were a few buildings. This is not the case." A clip of Barry using his infinite mass punch on the tied up criminals played, along with the aftermath. Caitlin and Cisco watched in disgust and fear.

"Then, there is this." A video of the antiverse started playing. "After being placed into their natural environment, Barry and Sam quickly devolved into savages, killing guards brutally." A clip of the killed and interrogated guards from the alleyway played. Then footage of Barry sliting the throats of guards, stabbing guards in the chest, brutal acts.

"The least you could have done was kill them quickly. But you forced them to bleed out slowly." Another clip played one of the above-ground portion of the Daycrawler complex. The slaughtering of the guards by Sam and the torture of another. Then played a clip of the inside of the complex, with Sam and Barry wiping out every single guard in the Daycrawler facility.

"These are all horrible acts. But the worst is from the battlefield. On it, Barry and Sam slaughtered everyone in their way." A long tape of the battle followed, starting from the beginning all the way to the moment Sam collapsed. Caitlin and Cisco looked no longer with faces of disgust, but of betrayal.

"We did what we had to..." Sam muttered.

"Really? You don't get it, do you?" Riser said.

"What?"

"Kara mentioned a Sam from her universe. Stories of a Sam that was evil. A Sam that killed everyone that he saw."

"What does that have to do with me."

"Oh my God! Do I really have to spell it out for you?! You and that other Sam **_are the same person!_ Those legends are about you! **Kryptonians had a secret sect that had the ability to travel through time, space, and universe. They found you in their journies and relayed stories about you to the rest of Krypton. You are that monster that she cowered in fear from."

Sam froze. He couldn't think, breathe, or move.

"I am the only one who can stop you. My power thrives on your bloodlust. The only way to stop you killing is to force you not to. And I'm the only one who can do that." Riser snapped and the screens turned off. He faced Caitlin and Cisco.

"I only want to help them. But I need you to do it. Please, help me." Riser pleaded.

Caitlin looked back at Barry with a pitiful look. Barry looked at her pleadingly. Regardless, Caitlin walked to Riser's side.

"Ca-Caitlin? Caitlin please, don't! He's trying to fool you! All he wants is power, and I'm in his way!" Barry pleaded. Caitlin flinched but didn't move. "Cait, please." Another flinch, but she only looked away from him. Barry shifted his gaze to Cisco. He had moved his way over to Riser as well. Barry gave a dry, bitter chuckle.

" _Et Tu, Cisco?"_

"I'm sorry, but you need this."

"Alright. Well, let's go. We have lots to do." Riser said to Caitlin and Cisco.

As the clock struck 12, he wrapped his arms around the two and vanished in the blink of an eye.

In a daze, Barry stumbled to the center of the Cortex. He dropped to his knees, the sting of betrayal so painful it was physically crippling. His entire world had come undone. His friends deceived, taken by the legendary Rising Star.

As he fainted, the last thing he saw was a symbol.

To him, an ancient symbol.

A golden circle, filled in with white and a lightning bolt going through it.

A symbol of peace.

A symbol of hope.

A symbol of a hero.

The symbol...

of the Flash.

* * *

 **A/N: Oof. We are right on the edge. Just a little bit of setup for the final fight and we'll be done!**

 **TGO, signing out.**


	18. The Calm

**A/N: Chapter 18, here we are! It has been a long road and we are almost at the finish line. I am so excited for the future.**

 **Brian Hughes - You'll get an idea of where it ends in this. But don't worry, all your questions will be answered in the next chapter.**

 **alaskanbirdfriend - Thanks for the compliment! Btw, I realize now that the bloodlust thing was unintentionally cryptic. It is explained early in this chapter.**

 **GlisteningAorticArches - Why**

 **SparksamongStars - I can see the 'Supernatural' similarity, although it ain't true. Sorry.**

 **Also, let's do a count. As of 8:48 PM EST on Friday, the day before I post this, we have 60 favorites and 71 followers. Guys. How. I love you all. This is amazing. We are also at 17,563 views. I can't even believe that I've gotten this far.**

 **Anyways, I'll let you read. Enjoy!**

 **-TGO**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own DC, CW, or any of its shows or characters. I do, however, own the plot of Resurrection.**

* * *

Barry woke up in his room in S.T.A.R. Labs. Sunlight was streaming through the window, dancing across the tiled floors. He sat up tiredly, rubbing his eyes and attempting to remember what happened. He was so worn out that he couldn't remember.

He leaned against the wall behind him, staring at the light from the sun. It's beams danced around the room, showing off its beauty. The beauty of their home star.

At that thought, Barry's eyes widened. His heart started hammering in his chest, breath quickening. All that happened caught up. The war. The Nightwalkers. Rising Star.

The betrayal.

No, not the betrayal. Too harsh of a word for an action taken to help him, or at least they thought they would help him. It wasn't betrayal, it was deception. Pure and simple.

They didn't know that Riser was lying, Barry thought. He had many thoughts, and not a single one blamed Caitlin and Cisco. They all, however, blamed _him._ Riser. The man that did this. The man that turned his friends against him. The man that spoke words of peace, but only wanted control, destruction, and chaos. At least, that's what Barry knew. Deep down, he knew that it was all just for show. Riser wanted nothing more than to ruin him, and he was using his closest friends to do so.

The bastard.

"Barry! You're up!" Barry turned his head to the doorway and saw Sam standing there.

"Hey, Sam." Sam rushed to Barry, grabbing him in a tight hug.

"Thank God you're okay!" Sam exclaimed. Barry hugged back, separating after a few seconds.

"Why wouldn't I be? How long have I been out?"

"Days. You collapsed after Riser left, and haven't woken up until now. I brought you here and have been taking care of the city since then."

"Wow," Barry said. No one spoke for a moment, letting each other realize truly all that happened.

"What do we do now? Any word from Riser? Threats?"

"Well..." Sam summoned a small portal and pulled out a sheet of paper.

"What's that?"

"After Riser disappeared and you collapsed, I noticed that he left behind a note."

"What does it say?" Barry asked.

 _"Barry and Sam,_

 _Here we are. Your friends have turned on you. Your sins have combined into this._

 _I'm going to keep this brief. As I'm writing this, I'm about to paint the blood on the wall that will alert you to my presence. You know, the blood of your mother. Merry Christmas, by the way."_

"He knew he would win them over before we even knew him." Barry spat.

"Yeah."

 _"Because I don't know the date of when I'll succeed, I'll just say this. When I disappear, you will have a week to prepare for my assault. No, not an attack to take the city. But big enough to keep you on your toes. Bring your forces to the S.T.A.R. labs warehouse. We'll fight there._

 _Oh, and make sure It's enough to take on an entire army._

 _Oh so sincerely,Riser."_

"So he wants to fight," Barry said.

"Yup. He wants a war. What should we do?" Sam asked. Barry looked him in the eyes.

"We give it to him."

* * *

"So... what happens now?" Cisco asked. They had just been instantly transported into a large conference hall. Himself, Caitlin, and Riser were the only ones in there.

"Yeah. I mean, I know we need to help those two, but how are we going to do it?" Caitlin asked. Riser chuckled lightly.

"Remember what I said? About my power thriving off of their bloodlust?"

"Sure," Cisco responded.

"Well, it means exactly what it sounds like. As you may have heard, I'm a necromancer. I resurrect corpses and they become my servants. After the few millennium that I have been alive have allowed me to be able to resurrect corpses for the purpose of simple servitude quite quickly. However, I can resurrect people to be who they used to be. Their full personality. That's only if I have enough time, of course."

"What are you getting at?" Caitlin asked.

"How can you win a war against an enemy whose army is of the dead?" Realization slowly dawned on the duo's faces.

"By not killing." They answered in unison.

"Correct. Force them to fight non-lethally."

"How do you do that?" Cisco chuckled. "I mean, it's not like we're bringing an army into Central City."

"Sure we are." Cisco looked taken aback, while Caitlin seemed frustrated.

"No, we aren't. If you bring an army into Central City, innocent people will die." Caitlin walked around the table and right up to Riser. "You need to realize something. We aren't here because we want to join you. We don't even know if you have another angle or not. We are here only because we want to help Barry and Sam stop their killing spree. So if we do this, we do it without killing."

"Of course. I would expect nothing less of you, Caitlin Snow. While we are going to be marching an army into Central City, we aren't marching an army into an occupied city."

"What do you mean?" Cisco asked.

"We evacuate the city. Maybe it's a bomb threat, maybe it's us simply telling the truth. Either way, I can easily evacuate the city before the fight." Riser explained. Caitlin waited for a moment, before giving in. She nodded and returned to Cisco's side.

"Trust me," Riser walked over to the duo. "When we are done, Barry and Sam will be more receptive to our efforts to save them." Riser placed his hands on their shoulders. Cisco froze, eyes widening, and jaw-dropping. Riser didn't seem to notice and left the room with a short chuckle.

Caitlin, however, did notice. She recognized the face he was making as well. After a moment, Cisco snapped out of his vibe.

"What did you see?"

"I... uh... I'm not sure. It was strange. As if the vibe was encrypted."

"What does that mean?"

"It was almost like a dream. You know, interpreting it. I could tell there was a message behind it all."

"Well, what did you see?"

"I saw a rabbit. It was looking at an hourglass. Behind the rabbit was a grave, freshly dug with a coffin at the bottom. Behind the hourglass were hundreds of black horses, all itching to run forward. At least, it looked that way. All was still until the sand ran out. When it did, two things happened. First, the rabbit turned and hopped into the grave. As soon as it was out of the way, the horses rushed forward and spread over the entire earth." Cisco explained what he saw.

"You're right. That was cryptic."

"Well, let's get to it. We need to prepare for the fight."

* * *

"So, let me get this straight," Oliver said. The entire team was in the 'Arrow cave,' along with Barry and Sam. "Your nemesis is launching a war on Central City because he, supposedly, doesn't like the fact that you kill. And you want us to help you fight him off."

"Yeah," Barry said.

"Why wouldn't you just go to your friends in other universes? Or Cisco and Caitlin?"

"We plan on it. As for Cisco and Caitlin..." Barry hesitated. As he was about to finish his response, Oliver cut him off.

"They gave in, didn't they? They sided with him." Barry looked shocked.

"How did you know?"

"They weren't the only ones that Riser appeared to. He also appeared to us. We saw the footage. None of us cared. You have to do whatever it takes to protect those you love. I'm assuming that he tried to sway everyone you know."

"I guess so. I didn't know he appeared to you guys as well."

"I think he's trying to turn everyone on you," Oliver said. He looked around to study the faces of the other members. Diggle walked to the front.

"We're your friends Barry. Through thick and thin. We'll stand by you." Everyone nodded their head in agreement.

"That settles it. You have allies on the battlefield now." Oliver said.

"While I can't help with the fighting, I will do what I can," Felicity explained.

"Thank you. All of you. Now, we need to go find more help." Sam said.

"Of course," Oliver said. Sam opened a portal to S.T.A.R. labs and stepped through, with Barry following.

"That went well," Sam said. Barry was about to respond but was interrupted.

"There you guys are!" The two turned around to find Wally, Jesse, and Harry. Wally was the one speaking. "We've been looking, but no one's here."

"Riser appeared to us. Told us what's going on. We refused to go with him. We came here to look for you guys, but you two are the first we saw. Where's Snow and Ramon?" Harry asked.

"Unlike you three, Cisco and Caitlin fell for his line. They're both working with him, now." Barry explained.

"Damn," Wally said. "Do you know what Riser is shooting for?"

"War," Sam said.

"What do you mean?" Jesse asked.

"In a few days, he'll bring an army to the S.T.A.R. labs warehouse. We will fight there." Sam explained.

"And we need numbers. We have the help of Team Arrow, but we need more. We were actually going to look for you guys next." Barry added.

"So you want us to help you guys in the fight?" Harry asked.

"Yup," Sam responded. Harry looked at Wally and Jesse. Both nodded their heads.

"Looks like you got three more on your side," Wally said.

"Good. Next, we need to find the Kryptonians." Barry said, looking at Sam.

"You do that," Harry said. "We'll train up. I probably won't be much good in a fight, so I'll help with planning."

"Alright. Let's go." Sam said. Barry punched the air to his left and ran through the breach he created, Sam following.

They emerged in the center of National City, on top of a high rise.

"You know her better than I do. Lead the way," Sam said. Barry nodded and looked around the city. First at Catco, then at the DEO, and lastly at her apartment. Because of his speed, he was able to search every inch of the locations before Sam even knew he was gone.

"She's in her apartment. Keep in mind what happened last time."

"Of course. Should we tell her about..."

"No. Riser probably already told her. She will probably a little hard to convince, but since she didn't go with Riser, we already have a leg up. However, if she asks about your legend, tell her the truth."

"Yeah," Sam agreed. Barry grabbed Sam and ran him to the door of Kara's apartment.

Barry knocked on the door softly. He waited a second before smirking at the door and waving.

"What are you doing?" Sam whispered.

"She can see through walls. She can also hear you."

"Oh..." After a moment, the door opened and an annoyed Kara appeared.

"You have some explaining to do, _Barry_ ," Kara said.

"May we come in?" Barry asked. Kara squinted her eyes before stepping to the side. Barry nodded in thanks as he walked in, Sam behind him.

"Sit," Kara ordered, pointing to the couches at the other end of the apartment. Barry and Sam quickly sat down. Kara sat in the chair across from them.

"I assume you know why I'm angry?"

"Riser."

"No. It's what he showed me."

"Videos of me killing."

"Yup."

"Kara, listen-"

"No, shut up. I need to talk. When you saved me from Darkseid and his parademons, we talked about the incident on that other earth. We also talked about you killing. Now, I don't have that much of a problem with killing when you need to. However, what Riser showed me? That was **not necessary**. You killing the men that attacked me? Not necessary. You slaughtering all those people in the war? Not necessary. You tearing apart the man that killed you? Not necessary. You have a problem Barry, and I don't intend on fueling it."

Barry hung his head and thought long and hard about his response. Eventually, he responded.

"Then don't. You don't have to, and I'm not asking you to."

"Then what did you come here for?"

"Riser, when he disappeared with Cisco and Caitlin-"

"Wait, they went with him?"

"Yes. They bought into his line. He is lying about only wanting to help me. All he wants is me and Sam out of the way so he can have dominion over the earth."

"How am I supposed to believe that what you're saying is the truth?"

"So you believe Riser?"

"Hell no, I don't! But that doesn't mean that I trust you. He is the only man that threatens your bloodlust, so it only makes sense for you to slander him! So how do I know that what you're saying is the truth?"

"YOU DON'T! Alright, Kara, you don't! I don't have some mystical piece of evidence to prove that what I'm saying is true. All you can do is decide who to put your faith in. Me, or Riser." Kara looked away at this but didn't respond. Barry continued.

"Look, when Riser left with Cisco and Caitlin, he left behind a note. This note said that in a week's time, he would be bringing an army to the S.T.A.R. labs warehouse, and told me to do the same. Would a man who only wants peace wage war so close to a city?" Barry finished. Kara thought about it and eventually raised her head.

"What do you need?" Kara asked. Barry gave a smirk.

"You. Our numbers are going to be nothing compared to his, which is why we need powerful beings like you and your friends in the DEO."

"Alright. Anything I need to know about who we're gonna be fighting?"

"Riser is a necromancer, so his army is going to be comprised of already dead people, except for Cisco and Caitlin. In fact, they might not even be at the front. He knows that I wouldn't harm a hair on their head, so he's probably going to send them in later."

"What are you getting at?"

"Two things. One, they're already dead, so you don't have to worry about me killing unnecessarily. If anything, we'll be doing them a favor by freeing them from his grasp. Two..." Barry leaned in. "Don't hold back."

"Alright. I'll be there, along with everyone I can scrounge together."

"Thank you," Barry said.

"Oh, and Sam?" Kara asked.

"Yeah?"

"The thing about you being that evil guy. Is that true?"

"I don't know. It very well could be, but I'm not sure."

"Alright. Well, see you in a few days."

"Goodbye, Kara. Train well." Barry said, before opening and breach and exiting through it along with Sam.

* * *

It was the day before the attack. The city was being evacuated after threats of all kinds. Joe came to S.T.A.R. labs before he was forced to leave as well.

"Barry, what's going on?"

"Riser is making his move soon. I guess he cleared out the city for a less interrupted battlefield."

"Well, if you're fighting him, then I'm staying."

"No, you're not."

"Barry, I'm not letting you die again."

"I won't die. I promise. I need you to do something, however."

"What?"

"Iris. Stay with her. Keep her safe. I don't know what's going to happen during or after this battle. All I need is for you to make sure that she's safe. That way I can fight without worry."

"Of course. Are you sure you don't want me here?"

"I'm sure. Now please, go. Get far, far away from here. Get her away from here."

"Alright." Joe hugged Barry. He quickly reciprocated. "I love you. Stay safe."

"I will."

* * *

The day had come. Once dawn came, Barry and Sam prepared. They performed their usual routine, gathered their gear, and prepared. Barry got his suit. He had multiple versions of the Wraith suit, but only one was right for him. It was the same one that he wore for the majority of his time in the Speed Force. It was more damaged than the rest, yet provided no less protection. Its blade was also unique. Every set had a replica blade, but this one was special. Holding it in his hand, he felt comfort. He smiled at the feeling.

After both Sam and Barry were ready, they departed. After arriving, they went their separate ways to collect the rest of the forces. Sam opened a portal to the Arrow cave and helped them get ready while Barry traveled to Earth-2 to collect Harry and Jesse, and then Earth-38 to collect Supergirl and whoever she found. Wally arrived on his own.

It was 7 o'clock now. Everyone was present and accounted for. From Team Arrow came Oliver, Diggle, Felicity, and the other members. From Team Supergirl came Kara, J'onn J'onzz, Winn, and Alex. Lastly, Team Flash, if it could even be called that anymore, brought Barry, Sam, Wally, Harry, and Jesse.

"So, we need to plan," Barry said. He was addressing the entire group, all of them listening intently.

"Obviously," Oliver said. "Where do we start?"

"Well, some people here aren't going to be able to fight. Those people will help lay traps and plan. When Riser and his forces appear, I will rush them to S.T.A.R. Labs.

"Who are these people?" Wally asked.

"Felicity, Winn, and Harry. You four will help plan our attacks and will be taken to safety to monitor everyone when the time comes."

"Alright. Let's get to it."

* * *

It was 11 o'clock. The planning was mostly complete and everyone was making their final preparations. At one point, Oliver pulled Barry aside.

"Barry, you got a minute?"

"Course, what do you need?"

"I've just... are you okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I get that this is stressful, even for you, but you just seem... off. Like something isn't right. Like you feel uncomfortable in your own skin."

"It's probably just nerves getting to me. After all, everything hangs on the outcome of this fight."

"Yeah, I get that. You're movements just seem, I don't know, unnatural. Just slightly."

"Like I said, I'm nervous. Don't worry, I'll be fine. Thank you for worrying, though." Barry smiled before leaving to join the rest of the group.

"Yeah... no problem."

* * *

The clock struck twelve. As soon as it did, a man appeared in front of the building. He was armored, heavily. The team immediately knew who this was.

"Hello, Barry. The time has come."

"Riser. Where's the army you promised us?" Barry approached Riser, with everyone else hanging back slightly.

"They'll come. I just wanted to see what I'm up against."

"Well, I hope you're impressed." Barry spat. Riser chuckled.

"I must admit, you really did call upon every favor, didn't you? You managed to scrounge up quite a powerful force within a week's time."

"What can I say? I've got good friends."

"More like foolish ones. Even with them, you are no match for who I've brought with me. In fact, you might even recognize a few of the faces on the front lines."

"What does that-" Barry was cut off by a loud screeching sound. He was confused for a moment, about to ask Riser what the hell that was.

Then they appeared.

And Barry couldn't move from the faces he saw.

* * *

 **A/N: :D**


	19. The Storm

**A/N: So... here we are.**

 **The Final Hour.**

 **Brian Hughes - You hate cliffhangers, eh? Welp... you might be a bit disappointed. Cause this is a big one.**

 **GlistiningAorticArches - Thank you! That's what I've been trying to do this whole time!**

 **As of 9:34 EST the night before this goes up, we are at a clean 18,300 views on the dot. We are also at 71 followers and 61 favorites. This is absolutely amazing! I am so happy that we've come this far!**

 **Anyways, on to the chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own DC, CW, or any of its shows or characters. I do, however, own the plot to Resurrection.**

* * *

Sam slowly walked up beside Barry, also struck dumb by who he saw in the massive group of resurrected slaves.

"I must say, I really do like your reaction! It took quite a while to gather this size of an army, especially with the time constraint on each 'reaping'."

Barry looked around. He recognized many of the faces in the crowd. Thing is, last time he saw them, those faces were not cold, void of all emotion. Last time he saw them, their faces were etched with horror. Etched with pain. With fear. With sadness.

"You're starting to remember them, aren't you? You pushed it to the back of your mind, hoping that you could forget. I bet you even forgot its name!"

Barry started to breathe quicker. His heart was racing.

"What was the name of that earth?"

"Don't-"

"Oh yes! I remember! Earth-52! The earth that you failed to save!"

Barry stumbled back. His mind was as clouded now as it was that day. The day he failed. The day that 13.7 billion people died because of him.

"And you, Sam! Well, actually it's Samandriel, isn't it? That's what they called you on Jewel, right? You should recognize some of these faces, too."

Among the victims of the tragedy on Earth-52, there were victims of another crisis. The crisis on Jewel, the home planet of the Fire Angels.

However, there was one face that stood out among the crowd. One Fire Angel, standing to the left and a few feet behind Riser, caught Sam's attention.

It was her.

Peniel.

Rage filled Sam. Rage for Riser enslaving Penny. Riser seemed to notice the sudden change in Sam.

"You noticed her, didn't you? I bet you're thinking of ways to free her from my grasp. Well, sorry to disappoint you, but you can't. She's mine." Riser turned to Penny. "Come up here." Penny walked up to stand directly beside Riser. Riser turned her toward him.

"She's all mine. Hell, she doesn't even remember you." Riser shot a mischevious grin at Sam before kissing Penny swiftly. Under his control, Penny immediately returned the action. It was seemed to last for an eternity but was only for show. Only because Riser knew what seeing this would do to Sam.

He was right.

Sam's eyes exploded in a bright blue flame. His wings extended to their fullest length, burning with the light of a thousand suns.

"LET HER GO!" Sam shouted. Like the rage running through him like blood, fire began to seep through his skin.

Starting at his feet, a blue flame crept up his body. He started rising in the air. As he rose, the blue flame continued up his body. After he was about 30 feet in the air, the fire reached the top of his head.

His whole body was covered with a blue flame.

"Now that's what I wanted." Riser said, waving Penny back behind him.

The flame grew in intensity, growing bigger and brighter. After a few seconds, a massive explosion occurred, knocking back everyone on both sides.

Except for Riser and Penny, of course.

Survivors of this war would tell stories of the last Fire Angel. Stories of his power. They would say that the heat was greater than anything they had ever felt. They would even say that the sun wouldn't have needed to be out that day, he was so bright.

All because, when that explosion cleared, a creature was left behind. It wasn't a person.

It was a Phoenix.

A giant bird covered in white flames hovered there, just outside of the S.T.A.R. labs warehouse. It was upright, belly outward and head looking toward the sky. Just floating there. At least 100 feet tall, with a wingspan of 150 feet.

The battlefield was silent for a moment. Then, Phoenix looked down at the enemy forces.

With a loud screech, it dove down to the forces, breathing a searing white flame onto them. Anyone who got close enough to even be grazed by Phoenix's wings immediately erupted into an inferno, burning themselves and anyone around them, the fire not spreading any more than that.

"Well then! That was exciting! Now, with the war." Riser raised a hand to the sky. "Open fire," Riser said as he lowered his hand to the side of the Flash.

Bullets, bursts of energy, fire, and more started moving toward Barry and his friends. Barry looked around. No matter where he would bring his friends without them being destroyed immediately.

Barry decided on something. If it worked, then they could continue fighting while Sam wrecked havoc. If not... it's been a good run.

Barry stuck out his hands, palms facing the enemy forces. He closed his eyes and shut out the sounds of the battlefield raging around him. He focused on his speed.

All these years, he's been harnessing the speed force. Learning how to control it. Barry used his connection to the speed force and reached out into the world with it.

Suddenly, he could feel every air particle in front of him. He could move them, change them. Barry tried to combine this with another trick he knew.

He has had the power to steal kinetic energy from his surroundings for quite some time. Just reach out and grab it. However, he's never tried to control specifically where he was stealing it from. He's never needed to.

Feeling the atoms in front of him, he connected with every single bit of air that was in the 'door frame' to the warehouse. When he did that, he started stealing the kinetic energy from that and that alone.

Just as the projectiles were about to strike himself and eventually his friends, he succeeded in creating the barrier.

As he returned to perceiving normal time, he saw the projectiles slow to a stop right in front of him.

"Woah," came a voice from behind him.

"Yeah, thanks for the save, but how are we supposed to fight with them not even letting us into the fray?" Oliver asked.

"Alright. I'll send these projectiles the other way. When I do, I'll start taking fire myself. That's when you all will move in."

"Whenever you're ready," Kara said.

"3, 2, 1... GO!" Barry accessed the atoms again and used them to turn the projectiles the other way. When he did, every single bullet and everything else was redirected back at the enemy forces. In the moment of confusion, Barry dashed into the fray and started killing targets.

The team charged into the forces, fighting with all their might. They knew that they were outnumbered more than ever before in history, but they had a feeling that they would win.

Somehow.

* * *

Sam woke up in a white room. Well, less of a room and more like a white void, but he was confused none-the-less. He sat there and looked around for a moment before he heard a voice come from behind him.

"Sam?" It was a female voice. One he recognized immediately. He sprung up and spun around, eyes wide.

"Penny?" He asked. He wasn't sure what was going on. Maybe he was dead. Maybe he was dreaming. Maybe he had gone insane. Whatever it was, he didn't care. Because to see her, even in a dream, was a miracle.

He could never dream of her. At least, the her he knew. Whenever he did dream, it was always of her calling out to him, moments before her death. Before he survived something he never intended to. Before he wiped out his people.

It was hell.

But, for the first time in forever, he could see her. The her he fell in love with.

Her hair was a deep red. Crimson, long and flowing, and beautiful. The tears of anguish from his memories were gone. Her eyes shined a bright blue, brighter than anything he had ever seen. Her skin was a pale white, cheeks rosy and sparkling. She wore a simple t-shirt and shorts (at least, their Jewelian equivalents). Her thin frame, her red hair, her blue eyes, her pale skin, everything was just as he remembered.

Perfect.

"Yes, Sam, it's me," Penny said, smiling warmly. Tears leaking out of his eyes, he stumbled into her arms.

He cried. He cried for the first time in forever. He would lie awake at nights, not being able to do anything. He couldn't fall asleep, and, for some reason, he couldn't cry.

He always hated that. He would sit there and never be able to cry. He might have right after the incident on Jewel, but never afterward.

It felt so good to cry.

She held him, crying as well. After a minute, Sam gathered just enough composure to speak.

"How... how are you... how are you here? I... am I dead?" Sam asked, cradling his wife's face.

"No, you're not. We're inside of you."

"What?"

"Your soul. Your flame. That's where we are."

"What do you mean?"

"When you unlocked your Phoenix form, you unlocked access to your flame. You can now wield it better than you ever could before."

"But that doesn't explain how I can see you," Sam said, still confused. After seeing his wife again, it wasn't really the best time to be learning new things.

"When I died, my flame joined with yours."

"What does that mean?"

"When Fire Angels die, their flame burns away their bodies. And, if the Fire Angel doesn't do something, then the flame will soon fade as well. We can join our flames with another living Fire Angel to live on in them."

"So... so you are... what, a part of me? And I'm not just imagining you, this is actually you?"

"Yes. Because we can only be spoken to after the host Fire Angel unlocks their Phoenix form, which only happens for the best of the best, inhabiting flames never get to speak with their host, which is why no one knows about it except for those who have reached the Phoenix form."

"Wow. Um, sorry, my mind is racing. Why did you appear to me?"

"What, I can't speak with my husband after being dead for decades?" Penny asked with a chuckle. "In all seriousness, I also came here because of the challenge that you are currently facing."

"Riser, you mean?"

"Yup. There's doubt in your mind that you will win."

"How couldn't there be? He has all of us. Every single Fire Angel. How am I and some of Barry's old friends supposed to beat that?"

"You think too little of yourself, Sammy. I wasn't the only flame that took you as a host that day." Penny smiled. Sam opened his mouth to ask what she meant, but he was silenced by what appeared around him.

Fire Angels. As far as the eye could see.

Every.

Last.

One.

"You are Jewel. You are all of us. The entirety of the Fire Angels. How do you think you're so powerful? You think we gave your sword the name _Faithkeeper, Last Hope of Lost Worlds_ for no reason? Those people down there, they may be our bodies, but they are not our spirits. Our souls." Sam looked around and started to cry again, this time a little quieter. Out of the crowd came two little figures.

"Daddy!" They screamed in unison. Sam kneeled down to their level and pulled them in for a hug. After a moment, he pulled away to look at their faces.

"Zachariah! Aliyah! My God, it is good to see you two!"

"See? We're all here." Penny said. She walked over to Sam and knelt down. "And we all stand by you."

Sam nodded to Zach and Aly, sending them back to the edge of the crowd. Sam stood along with Penny.

"We always will stand by you. Anytime, for all time!" Penny ended. Sam quickly leaned in for a kiss, Penny quickly returning it. It was hungry, demanding, and oh so amazing. He dug his fingers into her hair and she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him as close as possible. She smelt like she always had, a cool peppermint as if her hair color added to the scent. Both their hearts started racing, breathing quickening.

After a long sought-after moment, they pulled away. Penny chuckled quietly.

"Now, go get 'em." Sam nodded.

"Always."

The white around him faded along with the Fire Angels around him. He was suddenly back in the sky, flying through the air.

He stopped for a moment and hovered over just the right spot, belly facing the ground. The enemies below looked up, and half of them knew what was about to happen.

Sam wrapped his wings around him and tucked his head into his chest. The flame inside of him charged up until it reached its breaking point. When it did, a massive beam of energy left him and struck the ground. It almost looked like a UFO sending down an energy beam to abduct cows. Except, this killed.

When the energy faded, Sam appeared in the middle of where the energy struck. He looked around him and saw Riser's forces surrounding him, but keeping their distance.

"Too bad, your ultimate attack didn't kill all of us. How do you expect to win now?" A bold soldier called out.

"Easy. I beat you all into the ground."

"Really? You must have rocks in your head! This is Lord Riser's army! You are but _one_ man!"

"I am one," Sam said. He extended his arms out beside him. Around him rapidly appeared blue figures. Eventually, there were enough to make up a small army. All of them were Fire Angels. While losing the flames of that small amount of Fire Angels did make him feel slightly less powerful, he knew that these didn't even make up a whole percent of the rest of the Fire Angels inside of him.

"But **we** are many." The Flames began attacking the surrounding forces, cutting them down with an unheard of fervor. Sam entered the fray as well, fighting alongside his brothers and sisters.

There they were. Clashing on the battlefield. Barry fighting alongside his brothers and sisters in arms, and Sam fighting alongside his Fire Angels. For a moment, things were looking up for Barry and Sam.

Just for a moment, though. Really though, Riser had been planning this for ages. He knew that he probably wouldn't win against them in all-out war. That's why he brought his Trump card.

Cisco and Caitlin.

* * *

The battle went on for an unknown amount of time. Sam and his flames fighting on one side, while Barry and his friends fighting on the other. Winn, Felicity, and Harry all stayed at S.T.A.R labs monitoring vitals and aiding the teams on the field. Overall, they managed to defeat about half of Riser's forces.

Eventually, things started turning against Barry and co. Sam's power slowly drained after he released the flames within him. While he dealt a massive blow to Riser's forces, once his power nearly ran out, the flames had to return to Sam. Sam had to use the last of his power to retreat back to the warehouse where he subsequently collapsed.

Without pressure being put on the entirety of Riser's forces, Barry and his friends started to fail. Once it became apparent that they wouldn't win, Barry started to retrieve his allies from the field. However, when he did, he noticed something.

Riser managed to capture some of his friends. Specifically, all of Team Arrow and Alex from Team Supergirl. He looked around everywhere, but couldn't find them. He returned to the warehouse, where J'onn and Kara were holding them off.

"J'onn! Kara! We need to retreat to S.T.A.R!"

"What about the others?" Kara asked.

"We gotta hope that Cisco and Caitlin have some sway with Riser. Now, let's go!" Kara and J'onn took flight and left for S.T.A.R. Labs. Barry picked up Sam and ran away from the scene.

* * *

Once they arrived, Barry put Sam down in the med-bay. He exited and discussed the plans with the remaining allies.

"So, since that failed, what now?" Kara asked.

"You move faster than light. Can't you just take them all down before they know what happened?" Felicity asked

"No. For some reason, I'm not able to go faster than light today. I can't even break MACH 50."

"Weird. Maybe Riser brought something that sapped the Speed Force from you." Winn offered.

"Must be. How should we set up defenses?" Barry asked. Some of them noticed the pivot, but no one spoke up.

"We can't really cover the entrances. We should find a choke point and defend it." Harry offered.

"Do we hole up in here?" Felicity asked.

"How would we escape? There's no passage from here to somewhere else." Harry asked.

"What if we use the breach room? Push comes to shove, we can escape to another Earth and prepare again there." J'onn offered.

"Sounds like it would work. Should we set up some traps?" Barry asked.

"It might slow them down, but not for long," Kara said.

"Better than nothing, though," Barry said. At this, an eerie silence fell over the remaining members of Team Anti-Riser. Although they all knew it from when they signed up, it was only dawning on them now. The futility of fighting.

Riser's forces were massive, both in number and power. They found themselves in the same position that previous enemies of Riser were in.

It's impossible to win against a man who controls the dead.

"What happens after this?" Felicity asked.

"I don't understand the question." Barry understood the question but didn't want to say it.

"Think about it. Say we win. Say, through some miracle, we beat Riser. What then? Cisco and Caitlin are still convinced that you're just some killer. However, the bigger issue is what happens if we lose. Riser doesn't seem all that peaceful, so what will happen then? Will he just do what he said, which is trying to fix you, or will he use the advantage of you being out of the way to do... God knows what?"

"I don't know," Barry said calmly. "It looks bleak, I know. But we have to hope that Cisco and Caitlin still have some trust in us left in them. Especially if we lose."

"You're right. Either way, we need to get moving before they attack. Let's prepare, people!" Kara ordered.

* * *

They had scrounged together all that they could. The anti-speedster force field. Mounted energy rifles from Earth-2. Everything.

The time had come. They were stationed at various entrances to the breach room, scattered throughout the building. Once Riser's forces started pouring in, they did everything they could to hold them off and survive the onslaught. They were doing well, but not well enough to fight an immortal force.

Soon, they started falling back. The traps were destroyed, and the defenders were pushed back until they reached the breach room.

"Guys, we aren't gonna win this. We gotta run. Now." Winn said.

"Probably the best idea we've got right now. Let's charge up the breach to Earth-2. Kara, J'onn, defend the entrance." Barry ordered.

"Got it." Kara and J'onn said in unison. After a moment, the breach had been opened.

"Alright, let's go!" Barry said. Everyone moved for the breach before Harry stopped them.

"Wait! Where's Sam?" Harry asked. Barry's eyes widened.

"I left him in the med-bay."

"Go! We'll wait!" Kara yelled. Barry nodded and ran to the cortex.

As soon as he arrived, he saw that the room was filled with Riser's forces, clearing out the place. In a spell of rage, Barry ran and killed each of them with his knife, quickly raising the floor lever the height of a crowd of bodies.

He ran into the med-bay and found Sam still laying there. He picked Sam up and tried to navigate his way out. Once he stepped into the cortex, he froze in his tracks.

Caitlin and Cisco were standing there, horrified.

"What the hell is this?" Caitlin asked, rage slowly rising in her. Barry tried to move past them and ignore their comments but was quickly stopped by a blast of vibe energy.

"You aren't going anywhere." Cisco spat. Barry didn't know what to do. So, he did what felt natural.

He ran.

He dropped Sam, not being able to run fast enough while carrying him, hoping that he would wake up in time to escape. He ran past Caitlin and Cisco, running out and back to the breach room. Sadly, forces had blocked his way.

Because of his decreased speed, he knew that he couldn't take them. He ran the other direction and tried another method of escape. Constantly, he was blocked.

Eventually, he made his way to the roof, it being the only unblocked path. Mostly, at least. He walked to the center and tried to clear his muddled mind. He raised his hand to his temple, brushing his ear as he did so.

Barry heard the door open. He turned and moved back. First, Riser himself walked out.

"Well, would you look at that. The Lord himself has graced me with his presence." Barry spat. Riser chuckled. Next came Cisco and Caitlin, followed by none other than Reverse Flash himself. At least, his walking corpse.

"Looks like you brought the whole crew."

"And one of your old friends." Riser chuckled. "End of the line, Barry. We have your allies. They will be protected, I promise. Anywhere's safer than by your side."

"You don't have all of them."

"Don't I? Take a look." Riser moved his hand and gestured to his left. Barry ran to the edge of the building and looked over it. Sure enough, there they were. Kara, Harry, Felicity, all of them. Barry sighed. He wasn't there to protect them.

"So," Barry asked, "what's your plan? You wanna take me in, give me some therapy? Is that it?"

"We want to help you, Barry. You have no care for the worth of a human life." Caitlin explained.

"Let me ask you this, then." Barry began as he walked back to the center of the roof. "How many people, do you think, have been saved because I forced myself to do whatever it takes to save them?"

"Whatever it takes? Barry, you slaughter people for FUN! When you invited Kara to the Christmas party, you killed those men for fun! You even described a way you could have done it without killing!" Caitlin said, exasperated. Barry sighed. He looked down at his knife he used against so many foes and chuckled.

"You know, I never told you about the origins of this blade."

"What does that have to do with-" Caitlin was cut off.

"SHUT UP!" Barry exclaimed, and Caitlin jumped. "Sorry. Anyways, you see, it's custom for whenever a Speed Force soldier is honored, he receives a weapon that is connected to him/her.

An archer might receive a bow, while a marksman might receive a rifle. However, something must be done to it to actually connect it to its user.

A memento, a prized possession from their past, must be used in the making of the weapon. For instance, the action in a marksman's rifle may be partially a melted down locket.

This blade is called Catalyst. When I received my honor, I obviously chose a dagger because I'm an assassin.

When I met with the blacksmith who would make it, he asked me what I would use as it's memento. I thought about it, but it didn't take long. In all my life, there has been one object that affected me the most. One object that made me, well, me.

That's that knife that killed my mother. He used some of the blade in this one and used some of her blood in the cooling process. Her spirit lives on in this. This knife is what started my life. It is the catalyst of my life." At that, Barry stopped and squinted his eyes, and the began laughing.

"Why are you laughing?" Caitlin asked.

"Because it's ironic!"

"What is?" Caitlin asked again. Barry unsheathed Catalyst.

"This!" Barry walked backward to the edge of the roof. "This knife made me who I am today. This knife made me, made my life.

It's ironic because the blade that started my life...

Will now end it."

Barry raised Catalyst to his throat. Riser, Caitlin, and Cisco's eyes all widened. They started running to stop him.

But he was the Flash.

And they were not.

With a swift motion, Barry opened his throat. Blood started spilling out. The crimson that pushed him to be who he is. The crimson that he loved.

With the rest of his strength, he fell backward off of the roof. Cisco opened a breach for himself and Riser, while Caitlin created an ice slope for her to slide down on.

When they reached the ground, only Riser could move. He ran over to Barry's side. He noticed that Barry was still alive, just barely. He couldn't, however, speak. Too much blood.

Rises leaned down to whisper into Barry's ear.

"Well, would you look at that.

I won."

Riser pulled away and gave a smug smirk that was hidden from Caitlin and Cisco but in full view of Barry.

The last thing Barry saw and heard was the victorious smirk from Riser and the sobs coming from Cisco and Caitlin.

Then...

Darkness.

* * *

 **A/N: It's not over yet!**

 **Epilogue goes up in the next few days.**

 **-TGO**


	20. Epilogue

"It's ironic because the blade that started my life... will now end it."

On top of a roof near S.T.A.R. labs, there Barry stood. He was holding a radio, speaking into it.

"Now, raise the knife to your throat and cut it," Barry ordered into the radio.

In the week leading up to the battle, Barry contacted some old friends. No, not just Team Arrow, Supergirl, and the rest of his team. Friends from the speed force.

Specifically, two fighters by the names of Adisa and Jiason. Jiason, the shapeshifter, and Adisa, the sorceress. Two fighters specialized in one thing.

Golem creation.

"Of course." Barry heard a response before gurgling of blood and a cut from the radio. He looked over the edge of the roof and saw his golem copy falling off the S.T.A.R. labs roof.

Sadly, but also aiding in keeping undercover, the golem, while being a carbon copy of Barry (mostly), couldn't use speed. That's where Cisco's gift to Barry came in.

He created a device that could suck some speed force from Barry and put it into someone else. He used this to give his golem enough speed to last until he finished his job. Suicide.

Also, he knew that he would have to be there to direct the golem in what to do. While being extremely close to Barry, the golem isn't perfect. Their movements may feel unnatural, their speech cold. He was lucky that Oliver didn't think too much of the unnatural movements from before the battle. That's why he fed directions and dialogue to the golem. Even up to the end.

Barry chuckled softly. It's over. The end had come.

Scratch that. It isn't the end. Barry refused to let it be that way.

"Well, would you look at that. I won." The way the golem hit the ground must have triggered the radio. Barry chuckled. He knew that Riser was evil. That he was not who he said he was.

"And thus, we reach the end of an era." Barry spun around to see his mother standing there. "The fall of the Wraith, and the rise of... well... Riser. Tell me." Nora walked up to the edge of the building, standing beside Barry.

"What will you do now?"

"Well... Riser won this fight. And that means that nothing stands between him and complete and utter rule of this world. I can't fight him as Wraith. Wraith just died over there. Nor can I fight him as Barry Allen. He died 40 years ago."

"You're right. Wraith is a killer. And, my child, this is what happens when you kill relentlessly."

Barry jerked his head to his mom. Does that mean...?

"You never wanted me to kill?"

"Well, you always got the job done, so I never said anything. But, I never wanted that for you either. It ruined you. With every life you took, a piece of you was lost."

Barry chuckled. Maybe his friends were right.

"How am I supposed to defeat someone who controls the dead?"

"Simple. You don't kill."

"I don't think it is. In a revolution, the oppressed need a symbol to follow. Something to give them hope of freedom. I just don't have that."

"Are you sure?" Barry looked to his left and saw Sam landing. He wasn't using his flames, trying to stay hidden.

"Sam! You made it out!"

"Of course I did! Oh, and you won't be alone in this fight. Jewel stands with you."

"Wait, Jewel?" Nora asked. "You mean you unlocked your Phoenix form?"

"Yup. Wait, you knew? About Jewel?"

"Yeah. I never said anything because I wanted you to find out for yourself."

"Wow."

"Alright, thank you Sam, but that still doesn't fix the problem of a symbol."

"Did you really forget?" Sam asked.

"Forget what?"

"You said that Barry and Wraith have died, so you can't fight Riser as either of them."

"And?"

"Do I really need to spell it out for you? What symbol is there that brings hope? Brings freedom?"

"I don't-"

"A symbol that everyone knows. A symbol that people will prophesy its return of. A symbol that can free even the most oppressed of people. A symbol that fights without killing. Tell me, Barry, who has the ability to do just that?"

Barry thought for a moment. Then, the answer struck him. How could he have not realized it before?

"There is only one person that can defeat Riser," Sam explained. "And that person is-" Barry cut him off, opting to say it himself.

"The Flash."

* * *

 **A/N: READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE ON THE NEXT "CHAPTER".**


	21. Author's Note

**A/N: My God, we've done it. We've finished the book.**

 **Why do I say book and not story? If it isn't already obvious enough, I'm doing another book.**

 **Riser has finally gotten rid of the one thing keeping him from everything he could ever want. At least, that's what he thinks.**

 **Review responses:**

 **Brian Hughes - Thank you for the compliment! Tell you the truth, the whole thing with Penny and Sam was made up on the spot. I didn't plan for it, but I'm glad it happened.**

 **GlisteningAorticArches - Thank you! I can't wait for the next release as well.**

 **xOpal69 - Yeah, I'm glad how it turned out, even with it being my first Fanfic.**

 **alaskanbirdfriend - There you are. Btw, the "I am one" thing was taken from Shadow of War. I liked how it sounded, so I used it.**

 **SparksamongStars - If you can't tell, I'm addicted to cliffhangers.**

 **So, I guess I could talk a little about how this story came to be.**

 **If you couldn't tell from a single look at my profile page, or from some scenes early on in the story, I ship Snowbarry.**

 **I know, I know, put down your torches and pitchforks and let me speak.**

 **Anyways, this all started with a story from one Jemma97. This author has a one-shots 'book' on Snowbarry, so I decided to read it.**

 **I should preface what I'm about to explain with a little problem I have.**

 **Whenever I read a story, I always flip the ending. If the ending is happy, I imagine how to make it dark and depressing. If the ending is dark and depressing, I imagine how to make it happy.**

 **Now, this was before I was an addict for really sad and dark endings, so it kinda left me shook for a bit.**

 **Anyways, on chapter 13, there is a very dark and depressing story based on Barry following around his friends after he died. He can see them, but they can't see him.**

 **Naturally, I imagined him coming back from the dead. That led to the idea of him being a speed force merc, mistaking his friends for impersonators, trying to emotionally cripple him by creating the illusion of his old family talking to him. This is also where I first got the idea of his suit.**

 **Now, this was the first time that I actually couldn't get my mind off of an after story, well, _story_. Over time, this obsession with people dying and coming back from the dead grew and grew, until I needed to release it somewhere.**

 **And that's how Resurrection was born.**

 **I didn't actually have a conflict planned out until, like, chapter 8 or so. Eventually, the idea of Riser came to me and I ran with it.**

 **When I first planned to write this story, I intended it to be a Snowbarry story. However, I decided that I should start off with a neutral story so I wouldn't have to deal with writing the intricacies of a relationship that constantly goes through trauma and life or death decisions, along with the simple act of writing a relationship and the dance of love when I haven't even been in one myself.**

 **Ever.**

 **So, yeah. Probably for the best that I didn't write it as a ship story. And, I think that gave me a bit more freedom to use Caitlin's disgust of Barry's killing spree, especially since I would have been required to have at least a little bit of fluff if I did go with a Snowbarry story. Well, scratch that. I would have just put angst after angst, and would have made everyone depressed, so...**

 **Either way, I'm happy that I didn't go with an SB story. And now that Jewel has 'returned' and Barry is ready for some good old-fashioned revolution, I can write something that I've been wanting to for a while.**

 **Another resurrection. Except, this time he didn't actually die.**

 **Anyways, as for the next book, I don't know when it will be ready. I want to actually plan out the entire plot before I start, so it will take a while. Plus, I'm all authored out from Resurrection, so I need a break anyways.**

 **One more thing. Because I didn't plan out this book, I probably left some plot holes, or some things vague. If you have questions, whether about plot holes or just general lore (I can't believe I have my own lore) then leave a review on this chapter. In a week or two, I will do my final review response for Resurrection, answering everything that I can.**

 **After that, I will only update this story once again. Well, maybe twice if I have an update on something that I would want to share. Otherwise, the next time this is updated will be a notice that the new book is either out or I have a set release date for it.**

 **So, I ask you all this. If you have any sort of interest in this story, and you haven't yet already, follow me and Resurrection. This way you will know when the next book is ready.**

 **I think that's everything. Thank you all so much for sticking with me from the beginning.**

 **Also:**

 **61,161 words, 21 chapters, 74 reviews, 18,759 views, 2 communities, 62 favorites, and 72 follows.**

 **Until next time,**

 **-TGO**


	22. Final Responce

**A/N: Alright! Sorry for not doing this sooner, but I wanted to make sure that everyone who wanted to review did. After this, the only addition to this book will be about the next one in the story.**

 **Brian Hughes - I, while loving the Wraith persona, desperately wanted the Flash back as well. I am really excited to see what will come of the Flash in the next book.**

 **thealexofevil - You are very welcome! It was and will be fun for me as well.**

 **alaskanbirdfriend - Thank you for the compliment! I read about golems and thought they would make a great addition to the story. And I have to agree with you... the Flash is amazing.**

 **alaskanbirdfriend Volume 2 - I have been doing all I can to make this an amazing story, especially since I didn't actually have a planned plot until, like, chapter 10. I'm glad you thought it came out well.**

 **GlisteningAorticArches - No, I'd like to think I'm not completely akin to the dark lord Moffat. And I thought I would need one last push from a trusted source to make Barry's sudden feeling of remorse make sense instead of out of the blue, which is why I had Nora not want Barry to kill.**

 **That seems to be it! Once again, thank you all for following this story! I sincerely hope that, when the time comes, the sequel catches just as much interest as this one did.**

 **See you all for the Revolution!**

 **-TGO**


	23. Rise and shine, Mr Allen, Rise and Shine

**GUESS WHAT?!**

 **After 5 months, Resurrection 2 is OUT!**

 **I cannot wait for the first reviews to come in.**

 **Sorry for the long wait, but I needed the break.**

 **Check my author page for the new book, and give me a follow while you're at it!**

 **I hope you all enjoy...**

 **Resurrection II: The Seeds of Rebellion.**

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 _Rise and shine... Mr. Allen. Rise and shine._

 _Not to imply that you have been... sleeping on the job. No one is more deserving of a rest, and all the resistance in the world would have gone to waste until-_

 _Well, let's just say your hour has... come again._

 _The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world._

 _So wake up! Mr. Allen. Wake up and... Smell the ashes._


End file.
